Noor Hossain (also rendered as Nur Hossain; ; 1961 – November 10, 1987) was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

activist who was killed by the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

on 10 November 1987, while protesting against Ershad administration near

Zero Point, Dhaka Noor Hossain Square, commonly known as Zero Point, is a square situated in Gulistan, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Description It is the center of Bangladesh and all buses around the country stop here. It is named after Noor Hossain who was killed by poli ...

. Zero Point was later renamed as Noor Hossain Square and the anniversary of his death is officially commemorated each year as the

Noor Hossain Day Noor Hossain Day () is a national day in Bangladesh observed every 10 November in order to commemorate the martyrdom of Noor Hossain while protesting for the establishment of democracy in the country against the rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad in ...

. He is one of the most widely known martyrs of Bangladesh's pro-democracy movement.

Early life

Hossain's ancestral home on his father's side was in the village of Jhatibunia, which is located in

Mathbaria Upazila Mathbaria () is an upazila consisting of eleven unions under Pirojpur district under Barisal Division. Geography Mathbaria is located at . It has a total area of 344.23 km2. History The ancient history of Mathbaria dates back to the Mugha ...

Pirojpur District Pirojpur District () is a district in south-western Bangladesh. It is a part of Barisal Division. ফিরোজ সরদার ১৭০০ সালে এ অঞ্চলের গভীর বন জঙ্গল কেটে মানু ...

. His father, Mujibur Rahman was an

autorickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

operator. His family moved to 79/1 Banagram Road, Dhaka after the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in 1971. Noor Hossain attended Radhasundari Primary School, which was also on Banagram Road. When he was in 8th grade at Graduate High School, Dhaka, Hossain quit school because of poverty. He was admitted to a

motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

driving school and received training in driving like his father. Interested in politics, Hossain became the publicity secretary of the Banagram unit committee of

Dhaka City Dhaka ( or ; , ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world with a density of about 34,000 citizens per square kilometers within a tot ...

Joubo League. He was neither well-off nor highly educated but he embodied the struggle of common people of the country, and has become a public symbol.

Dhaka Siege

On November 10, 1987, political opponents came together for what they called a "Dhaka Siege" (Dhaka Blockade) to demand an end to the rule of President Hussain Muhammad Ershad based on violations of democracy. Although he had been in power since 1982 through a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

, he won the October 1987 election, but opponents charged it was a fraud. The

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 ...

and Bangladesh National Party united in opposition against Ershad's rule. One opposition demand was an election of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

under a non-partisan

caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

. The rally turned violent, and several leaders and protesters including Noor Hossain were killed in riot conditions; several hundred were also injured. Noor Hossain was among three

Jubo League The Bangladesh Awami Jubo League () commonly known as the Jubo League, is the first youth organization of Bangladesh founded by Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani. It is the youth wing of Bangladesh Awami League. Jubo league's current chairman is Sheikh F ...

members killed at a protest rally. The other two were leaders Nurul Huda Babul and Aminul Huda Tito. In the aftermath, the opposition called for a nationwide protest strike on November 11 and 12. Hossain is now associated in Bangladesh with anti-autocracy and pro-democracy. At the time he was shot, his body carried several slogans in white paint. He wore the slogan "Down with autocracy" ''(Sairachar nipat jak)'' on his chest, and on his back, he had written the slogan "Let Democracy Be Free" ''(Ganatantra mukti pak)''. His death raised the visibility of opposition sentiment directed against the Ershad government. Ershad was removed from office on December 6, 1990 as a result of the mass movement that grew from the Dhaka Siege. After Ershad left office,

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 ...

of the BNP was elected as Bangladesh's first female prime minister, and a year later the government established a national date to commemorate the event. It was first called the "Historic November 10 observance", but the Awami League supported the name "Noor Hossain Day" by which it is known today. Ershad's Jatiya Party became part of the Awami League coalition after his removal, and Ershad later apologised for Hossain's death. The Jatiya Party does commemorate the day but refers to it as "Democracy Day" (Bengali: Ganatantra Dibash). Noor Hossain and the square remained significant for protesters after Hossain's death in 1987 and Ershad's removal in 1990. In 1993, the Awami League led protesters to the square on the occasion of the November 10 anniversary against the BNP government, which also provoked a reaction from the police. In 1996, Ershad officially apologised for Hossain's death before parliament and also to Hossain's father. Ershad maintained his apology but also criticised the opposition for using Hossain as a symbol against his government. In 2012, he said, "You (the opposition) came up with dead bodies as they were needed to spark demonstrations."

Accounts and reactions

Bangladesh's former Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

has given her own account of Hossain's death: "I remember what happened on that day. Noor Hossain was standing beside me when we took out our procession. I called him and told him they would kill him for what he had inscribed on his chest. Then he brought his head near the window of my car and said, 'Sister, you just bless me. I will sacrifice my life to free democracy." Hasina also said, ''"Bangladesh got back the rights to vote and food in exchange of Shaheed Nur Hossain’s supreme sacrifice."'' Marium Bibi, Hossain's mother, has most recently said, ''"I still don’t see anything for which my son died."'' In an earlier interview, she said, ''"It is hard for any mother to lose her son. But I have no sorrows... I am proud of Noor."''

In popular culture

The event of his death is honoured each year as cultural and political organisations sponsor special programs for observance the day. The day is officially commemorated as

Shohid Noor Hossain Day Noor Hossain Day () is a national day in Bangladesh observed every 10 November in order to commemorate the martyrdom of Noor Hossain while protesting for the establishment of democracy in the country against the rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad in ...

in Bangladesh. Photographs of Noor Hossain wearing slogans on his chest taken by Dinu Alam and back taken by Pavel Rahaman were taken shortly before his death and become an important visual icon in Bangladesh representing the struggle for democracy. A postage stamp was issued by Bangladesh in honour of his martyrdom. Hossain is the subject of the Bengali film ''Buk tar Bangladesher hridoy''. A fictional character named "Nur Hossain" appears in Neamat Imam's novel ''

The Black Coat ''The Black Coat'' is a historical novel by Bangladeshi-Canadian author Neamat Imam. It is "a meditation on power, greed and the human cost of politics." '' The Sunday Guardian'' commented that it is "destined to be a future classic" and will ...

''.

Gallery

File:Noor Hossain at 10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka (01).jpg, Noor Hossain File:10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka (06).jpg, Protesters throw stones at police File:Noor Hossain at 10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka (03).jpg, Noor Hossain at 10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka File:Shoirachar Nipat Jaak - Noor Hossain @ Awami League Rally on Nov 10 1987.jpg, স্বৈরাচার নীপাত যাক// Shoirachar Nipat Jaak, Noor Hossain at Awami League Rally on 10 Nov 1987 Protest.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hossain, Noor 1961 births 1987 deaths 1987 in Bangladesh Democracy activists Direct democracy activists Bangladeshi democracy activists People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Bangladesh Protest-related deaths November 1987 in Bangladesh History of Bangladesh