Sheikh Kamal (5 August 1949 – 15 August 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician, athlete and military officer. He was the eldest son of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

, the founding president 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 ...

, and the younger brother of

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 ...

, who would later become prime minister of Bangladesh. He was the founder of

Abahani Limited Dhaka Abahani Limited Dhaka (), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional Association football, football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Pr ...

Early life and education

Kamal completed his matriculation from Shaheen School, Dhaka, in 1967 and his Higher Secondary Certificate Examination from

Dhaka College Dhaka College (), informally known as DC, is a public educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It offers Honours degree, honours and Master's degree ...

in 1969. He was the general secretary of the Chatro League at Dhaka College. He practiced

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

at Chhayanaut, a school of music. At the same time, he was involved in diverse cultural activities and a keen sportsman. Kamal was an organizer of the

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 ...

guerrilla struggle in 1971. Kamal received a wartime commission in the Bangladesh Army during the Liberation War of Bangladesh. Kamal worked as the aide-de-camp (ADC) of General Osmani the commander-in-chief of the Mukti Bahini, during the

Liberation War of Bangladesh 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 ...

. After independence, he left the military at the rank of captain to return to Dhaka University, where he graduated with honors in sociology. He liked an athlete, Sultana Khuki, who was the first female blue of Dhaka University. On 14 July 1975, the couple married with the consent of the two families. He was perceived to be the successor to Sheikh Mujib. Kamal, an avid sportsman, founded

in 1972, a popular sporting club in Bangladesh. He enjoyed football, Badminton, volleyball, and other sports. Abahani went on to win many local championships and is considered one of the known football clubs in South Asia.

Death

Kamal and his wife were killed along with the rest of his family, except for his sisters

and Sheikh Rehana on 15 August 1975.

Legacy

Controversy

1973 shootout

Near the end of 1973, Kamal was involved in a shootout in which he was inflicted with bullet injuries. Multiple claims have been made as to how the shootout occurred. However, a retired major general of the

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...

claimed that it was a case of friendly fire. Near the end of 1973, Bangladeshi security forces received intelligence that the left-wing revolutionary activist Siraj Sikder and his insurgents were going to launch coordinated attacks around

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 ...

. Police and other security officers were on full alert and patrolling the streets of Dhaka in plainclothes. Kamal and his friends were armed and also patrolling the city in a microbus, looking for Siraj Sikder. When the microbus was in

Dhanmondi Dhanmondi () is an upscale residential and commercial neighbourhood and a Thanas of Bangladesh, thana (police jurisdiction) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, known for its central location, cultural vibrancy and being home to the country's founding president, ...

the police mistook Sheikh Kamal and his friends to be insurgents and opened fire on them, injuring Kamal. However, it is also claimed that Kamal and his friends were in

to test drive a new car that his friend

Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku Iqbal Hasan Mahmud (), also known as Tuku (), is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a former state minister of power and agriculture during 2001–2006. Early life and background Mahmud was born into a Bengali Muslim family of Taluqda ...

had bought recently. Since Dhaka was under heavy police patrol, police special forces under the command of then-city SP Mahamuddin

Bir Bikrom Bir Bikrom () is the third highest gallantry award in Bangladesh. Like the other gallantry awards, this was introduced immediately after the Bangladeshi Liberation War. Bir Bikrom was awarded to 175 fighters. Recipients 175 fighters have been a ...

opened fire on the car, thinking that the passengers were miscreants.

Abduction of Major Dalim

Kamal is also accused of abducting Nimmi Dalim and her husband, Shariful Haque Dalim (who later assassinated Kamal and his family), from the Dhaka Ladies Club and taking them to the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini headquarters. Gazi Golam Mostafa and his two sons were also accused of being involved in this abduction. This was one of the reasons that Shariful Haque Dalim held a grudge against the Sheikh family. However, it is also alleged that Kamal was uninvolved in this incident, and Gazi Golam Mostafa, along with his sons, acted alone in the abduction. It is claimed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman personally ordered Shariful Haque Dalim and his wife to be released and mediated a compromise between the concerned parties.

Namesakes

* Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground in

Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; ; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and Cox's Bazar District, district headquarters in south-eastern Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar Beach, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangladesh, is the longest uninterrupte ...

, Bangladesh, was named after him. * Shaheed Sheikh Kamal Bridge on the

Andharmanik River The Andharmanik River is located in Bangladesh. It is one of the larger coastal rivers of the Ganges–Padma system, and one of the major rivers of Kalapara Upazila in Patuakhali District Patuakhali District (; ) is a district in south-cent ...

is also named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamal, Sheikh Awami League politicians Tungipara Sheikh family Place of birth missing 1949 births 1975 deaths Recipients of the Independence Award Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Dhaka College alumni Mukti Bahini personnel Recipients of the Bangladesh National Sports Award 20th-century Bangladeshi sportsmen Children of presidents of Bangladesh Children of prime ministers of Bangladesh BAF Shaheen College Dhaka alumni