Najiruddin Jehad (6 September 1969 – 10 October 1990) was an activist of the pro-democracy movement of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

that led to the

1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh The 1990 mass uprising, popularly known as ʼ90's Anti-Authoritarian Movement, was a democratic movement that took place on 4 December and led to the fall of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Bangladesh. The uprising was the result of a series ...

. Jehad, the first casualty of the 1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh was killed on 10 October due to the police excesses during the first nationwide strike of the full-fledged movement against Ershad in front of Dainik Bangla intersection of capital

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. His death added fuel to the fire of the full-fledged movement, unified the students of all organisations and led to the fall of

Hussain Muhammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...

on 4 December 1990. To commemorate his contribution to democracy,

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (), popularly abbreviated as BNP (), is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by President of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman, wit ...

(BNP) and its students wing observe 10 October each year as Shahid Jehad Day.

Early life and education

Naziruddin Jehad was born on 6 September 1969, at Nabogram village under Ullapara upazila of

Sirajganj Sirajganj is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River, located in Rajshahi Division. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 500000, it is the 14th largest city in Ba ...

district to his father K. M. Mahmud and mother Basirunnesa. Mr. Mahmud and Mrs. Basirunnesa had 10 children and among them Jehad was ninth in line. Jehad after passing his SSC and

Higher Secondary School Certificate Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), Higher Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Education Certificate (HSEC) or Intermediate Examination is a secondary education qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It is equivalent to the f ...

examinations joined Government Akbar Ali College of Sirajganj in 1988.

Political career

Naziruddin Jehad, an ardent admirer of President

Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman (19 January 193630 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until Assassination of Ziaur Rahman, his assassination in 1981. One of the leading figures of t ...

, joined Government Akbar Ali College unit of

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatradal (; abbreviated as JCD), popularly known as Chatradal or Chatra Dal, is a Bangladeshi student organisation affiliated with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Many of the top BNP leaders and policy-makers today we ...

in 1988. After joining Chatra Dal, he focused on strengthening the organisation of the wing both in the college and in Ullapara upazila. With his relentless effort, Chatra Dal created a strong foothold in both Government Akbar Ali College and Ullapara upazila. Jehad played a crucial role in mobilising public support against military strongman

in his district. He was active in the political programs declared by

as a leader of its student wing from 1988. For his contribution to the party, he was elected as the president of Government Akbar Ali College unit Chatra Dal and the vice-president of its Ullapara upazila unit in 1990.

Beginning of the mass uprising

After eight years of relentless movement, BNP led 7-party alliance and

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

led 8-party alliance and leftist 5-party alliance started a full-fledged joint movement from 10 October 1990 by declaring a nationwide strike on the day with a view to usurping General Ershad from the power. On 10 October 1990, hundreds and thousands of protesters both from BNP and Awami League ran riot on the streets of

. A large pool of activists of BNP and its associate bodies were demonstrating in the Paltan area of the capital that day. A clash ensued in the area when police attacked the demonstrators and opened fire on the crowd that claimed two lives. Another incident of firing took place in front of Jatiya Party office and claimed another three lives when the armed goons of Jatiya Party attacked the BNP rally.

Death

Naziruddin Jehad came from

with a group of around a hundred activists to join the party declared program that day and was leading the demonstration in Paltan area. When police opened fire over the crowd, Jehad received a bullet injury and was rushed to

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Bangladesh Medical University (BMU; formerly known as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, commonly known as PG Hospital) is a graduate medical university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1965 as Institute of Postgraduate Medic ...

. He died on 10 October 1990. Police tried to snatch away the body of Jehad from the hospital but a large number of doctors led by Shamsul Alam Khan Milon resisted the attempt but failed to save the life of Jehad, who became the first martyr of the uprising. Shamsul Alam Khan Milon in his diary wrote the incident and recalled what he said before his death. Jehad said:

Aftermath

The death of Naziruddin Jehad enraged the

and

observe 10 October as Shahid Jehad Dibash (Martyred Jehad Day). Former Prime Minister

Khaleda Zia Begum Khaleda Zia (born August–September 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second fema ...

said ''The mass upsurge took place in that year on his (Jahed) blood and it ultimately caused Ershad's ouster''. Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal forged an alliance with all other active student organisations in the campus under Sarbadaliya Chatra Oikya Parishad (All-party Students Council) to give a final blow to the Ershad government. This student body played a vital role in paralysing the country within two months and forced Ershad to resign on 4 December 1990. A monument was built in the Dainik Bangla intersection as Jehad Memorial of the capital Dhaka where Jehad was shot.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jehad, Naziruddin Bangladeshi democracy activists 1969 births 1990 deaths