Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu (1 May 1945 – 4 November 2012) was a

Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

politician and a former

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

member representing the

Chittagong-12 Chittagong-12 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2014 by Shamsul Haque Chowdhury of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses all but five union parishads of Patiya ...

constituency. He was awarded Independence Award in 2021 posthumously. He was also the principal accused of the murder of businessman Humayun Zahir and was infamous for his role in capturing

United Commercial Bank Ltd United Commercial Bank PLC (UCB) is a private commercial bank in Bangladesh established in 1983, listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange. History 1980s The bank was incorporated on 26 June 1983. The government owns shares ...

putting the board members at gunpoint.

Early life

Babu was born on 1 May 1945. He was elected to East Pakistan provincial assembly from Anwara-West Patia in 1970. He was involved with Bangladesh Chhatra League as a student. During Bangladesh Liberation war, he organized Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in Chittagong.

Career

Babu was elected to Parliament on in 1986, 1991, and 2008 from Chittagong-12 as a Bangladesh Awami League candidate. He was made the president of the South Chittagong District unit of the Awami League in 1977, a position held till his death. He was the founder and chairman of

and Aramit Group. He served as the president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He was the chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Textiles and Jute.

Criminal charges

Akhtaruzzaman was the principal accused in the murder case of businessman Humayun Zahir who was killed after a feud over the control of United Commercial Bank Limited board arose on 8 April 1993. He was ousted from the board on charges of defalcation and irregularities. He was later arrested but after being released on bail, he left the country. He returned to the country in 1996 after Awami League formed the government and Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister. He was a close confidante of Sheikh Hasina and was serving as the industry and commerce secretary of the Awami League then. On 26 August 1999 he stormed the bank with around 40 armed cadres led by his son Saifuzzaman Chowdhury when a board meeting was underway. They forced the chairman Zafar Ahmed Chowdhury and the other board members of the bank to submit their resignation from the board at gunpoint and declared himself the chairman of the bank's board. It is alleged that his hired thugs assaulted the board members and stripped the chairman of the bank naked.

Achievement

Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu organized the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in Chittagong. He also founded United Commercial Bank Limited and made it one of Bangladesh's most successful banks. Late Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu was awarded the "Independence Award 2021" for his tremendous contribution in the war 1971, the highest civilian award given by the government of Bangladesh.

Death

Babu died on 4 November 2012 from kidney complications at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. The Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar flyover has been named Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury flyover in his memory. His daughter, Roxana Zaman, is a director of United Commercial Bank.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babu, Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury 1945 births 2012 deaths Awami League politicians 4th Jatiya Sangsad members 5th Jatiya Sangsad members 9th Jatiya Sangsad members Bangladeshi bankers People from Anwara Upazila Notre Dame College, Dhaka alumni Recipients of the Independence Day Award