Language Movement veteran Matin undergoes surgery

Language Movement veteran Abdul Matin has undergone surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 August 2014, 01:19 PM
Updated : 20 August 2014, 02:13 PM

The surgery took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), the hospital’s Director Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Majid Bhuiyan said.

Matin’s nephew Ferdous ur Rahman said the surgery was led by neurologist Afzal Hossain, who had told the family it was a primary success.

“The blood clot in the brain was removed. Now we’re waiting for him to regain consciousness,” he said.

Matin was admitted to Dhaka's City Hospital on Monday in critical condition, where doctors identified the blood clot.

He was transferred to BSMMU on Tuesday.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim went to the hospital to see him immediately after the surgery.

He told reporters Matin’s family had told him they were satisfied with the medical care there.

Asked whether Matin would be taken abroad for treatment, the minster said, “We will take action depending on the situation.”

BSMMU Vice Chancellor Prof Pran Gopal Datta said the hospital was bearing all the costs of his treatment.

Matin, a leader of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, was born on Dec 3, 1926 at Dhublia village under Sirajganj’s Chouhali Upazila.

He entered Dhaka University in 1945.

He is known as ‘Bhasha Matin’ (language warrior Matin) for his role as the convenor of all-party state language movement committee in 1952.

The veteran played an active role in forming the Chhatra Union after the Language Movement and became its president later. He then got involved in communist movement.

Matin was appointed the secretary of the Communist Party’s Pabna district unit in 1954, but joined Maulana Bhasani’s NAP three years later.

He formed the ‘East Pakistan Communist Party’ a year later.

In 1992, he took an active part in forming the Workers Party of Bangladesh and resigned in 2006.

He joined Workers Party again three years later, when it was reformed under Haider Akbar Khan Rono. Matin remained with it, although Rono later moved to the Communist Party of Bangladesh.

The veteran has authored several books on the Language Movement.

Of them, ‘Bangali Jatir Utsya Sandhan and Bhasha Andolan’ (in search of the Bengali’s root and the Language Movement), ‘Bhasha Andolan Ki Ebong Keno’ (what is Language Movement and why it took place), and ‘Bhasha Andolaner Itihash’ (the history of Language Movement) are well known.