Nuclear scientist and former caretaker government advisor Chowdhury Sajjadul Karim passes away

Dr Chowdhury Sajjadul Karim, nuclear physicist and a former advisor to a caretaker government, has died.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 Nov 2015, 05:22 PM
Updated : 20 Nov 2015, 07:55 PM

The former Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission chairman, widely acclaimed by colleagues for his professional qualities, was 67.

He breathed his last at a hospital in Dhaka on Friday night, his nephew Syed Minhaj told bdnews24.com. 

His family said he was told by his physician that he had pneumonia when he visited him with fever on Thursday afternoon.

He was admitted to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital, where he was kept at the Intensive Care Unit.

He was given life support when his condition deteriorated.

The doctors declared him dead at 10:40pm on Friday.

His only child Shabab Karim told bdnews24.com his Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at Bangladesh Medical College Hospital premises at 11am on Saturday.

Another Janaza will take place at Atomic Energy Commission in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at 12pm.

He will be buried at Banani Graveyard after yet another Janaza following Zuhr prayers at a mosque near his house at Shyamoli, according to Shabab.

Dr CS Karim had a brief stint as Science Editor with bdnews24.com before being pulled into the position with the caretaker government.

But, despite his busy schedule, he continued to be with bdnews24.com and attended its events regularly; indeed, he launched the Tech page of Bangladesh’s largest news publisher in 2007.

Dr Chowdhury Sajjadul Karim

The former Bangladesh Physical Society president was an international nuclear inspector for the Vienna-based global watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency.

He advised the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government on agriculture, fisheries and environment issues.

Dr Karim, an expert on nuclear power and energy, and safety, had also served on national committees formulating energy and power policies.

He always advocated the need for a nuclear power plant for energy-starved Bangladesh.

A bdnews24.com columnist and writer, he co-authored the national energy policy in the 1990s.

Dr Karim was born at his mother’s ancestral home at Chiitagong’s Mirsarai on Jan 7, 1948.

He had to change schools several times as his judge father was transferred from one district to another.

After clearing school certificate examinations in 1964, he did his BSc and MSc in physics at the Dhaka University.

He received his PhD and post-doctorate degrees on nuclear physics from Russia.

He is praised for his visits up and down Bangladesh in an attempt to raise crop production during his time as the caretaker government advisor.