Senior journalist Altaf Mahmud dies at 62

Senior journalist and president of a faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Altaf Mahmud has died at 62.

He passed away at 8:40am on Sunday at Bangabandhu Sehikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital in Dhaka, family members said.
 
Mahmud was taken into the intensive care unit (ICU) after he underwent surgery two days ago, BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan told bdnews24.com.
 
“His condition deteriorated yesterday (Saturday) night. We removed his life support this morning as he passed away,” he said.

President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed deep sorrow over Mahmud’s demise and condoled the grieving family.

Hamid in a message said, “The country has lost a devoted journalist through Altaf Mahmud’s death.”

Bangla newspaper Dainik Destiny executive editor Mahmud was admitted to BSMMU hospital on Jan 14 with severe neck pain.

Due to problems in his spinal cord, his legs were paralysed and he was losing strength in his hands as well.

A team of doctors, led by neurological disease specialist and surgeon Prof Kanak Kanti Barua, had operated on him for six hours on Thursday; they had expressed hope for Mahmud’s recovery.

But his condition worsened on Saturday night and the doctors declared him dead on Sunday morning, his relative Md Masud told bdnews24.com.

Mahmud started his career in journalism in the 1970s. He worked as the chief reporter of a weekly, ‘Saptahik Khabar’, for a long time.

The veteran journalist used to attend talk-shows in various TV channels as a political analyst.

Mahmud was one of those who witnessed firsthand many historic incidents including the shooting on Sheikh Hasina’s motorcade at Chittagong’s Laldighi Maidan in January 1988 and the birth of the Awami League-led 14-Party alliance.

“In 1975, the media was scared to publish the Bangabandhu’s photos. But I defied the fear and published his photos in Saptahik Khabar,” he had once said.