Shamsuddin Ahmed (; 1 August 1920 9 April 1971) was an East Pakistan medical doctor who was killed in 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 ...

and considered a martyr in

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 ...

Early life

Ahmed was born on 1 August 1920 to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in Ambarkhana,

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. His father, Imanuddin Ahmed, worked in the

Ministry of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure ...

, and his mother's name was Rasheda Begum. He completed his matriculation from Sylhet Government High School in 1939, and his

Intermediate of Arts Intermediate Arts (IA) is an academic diploma awarded by a high school or junior college after the completion of 12th grade or equivalent in some countries like India and Nepal. However, as for Nepal, the usage of IA, ISc, and the like has become o ...

from the

Murari Chand College Murari Chand College () (usually referred to as MC College) was the first college in the Sylhet Division. It was established in 1892, making it the seventh oldest college in Bangladesh. Since then it has played an important role in the education ...

in 1941. He graduated with an

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

from

Calcutta Medical College Medical College, Kolkata, also known as Calcutta Medical College, is a Government medical college and hospital located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is one of the oldest existing hospitals in Asia. The institute was established on 28 Janua ...

in 1946, and gained his

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Career

Ahmed joined the

Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...

in 1947 as the house surgeon. The following year, he moved to Comilla Hospital as the chief and then Narayan Nagar School Hospital in 1952. In 1953, he started teaching at

Sir Salimullah Medical College Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC), commonly known as Mitford, is a public medical college in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1875, it is the oldest medical school in Bangladesh. It includes Mitford Hospital, which is the oldest hospital in th ...

. From 1954 to 1955, he was the resident surgeon of

. He was the founding President of Pakistan Ambulance Corps. From 1955 to 1957 he was teaching the department of surgery in

Chittagong Medical College Chittagong Medical College, abbreviated as CMC is a public university, public medical school, medical college located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and second largest medical educational institute and hospital in Bangladesh ...

. In 1962 he completed his

Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Ro ...

from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, after which he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery in

Rajshahi Medical College Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) is a public medical school located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. It is affiliated to the Rajshahi Medical University. The college is affiliated to a large hospital which is the central provider for advanced health ca ...

from 1962 to 1964. From 1964 to 1967 he was the

Civil surgeon In the United States, a civil surgeon is designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to conduct medical examinations of immigrants applying for certain visas, adjustment of status, and other immigration benefits. Civil sur ...

. After which, he again worked as an Associate Professor of Department of Surgery in Rajshahi Medical College from 1967 to 1969. In 1969 he joined as the head of the department of surgery in Sylhet Medical College. After the start of

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

on 25 March 1971 and the start of Bangladesh Liberation war, he started treating people injured in the conflicts. He established a blood bank and provided medical supplies to

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

. He testified to an Italian investigation team against the actions of Pakistan Army. Most of the staff of the hospital had left.

Death and legacy

Three

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

soldiers were killed in fight with members of Mukti Bahini on 9 April 1971 near Sylhet Medical College. Pakistan army surrounded the Hospital but the members of the Mukti Bahini were able to disperse. Major Riyaz led a team of Pakistani army soldiers into the medical college. They took out Ahmed and eight other hospital staff from the hospital and executed them. They were buried inside the hospital compound. Doctor Shamsuddin Hall, a dorm of Sylhet Medical College, is named after him. On 14 December 1997,

Bangladesh Post Office The Bangladesh Post Office () also known by trade name Bangla Post is a Government of Bangladesh, government-operated agency responsible for providing postal services in Bangladesh. It is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications ...

released commemorative stamps of him.

References

{{reflist 1920 births 1971 deaths Pakistani surgeons People from Sylhet Dhaka Medical College alumni 20th-century surgeons Health professionals killed in wars Academic staff of Rajshahi Medical College Academic staff of Sir Salimullah Medical College