Shahjahan Siraj who meandered through all political stripes dies at 77

Shahjahan Siraj, former leader of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal who once served the Khaleda administration as the forest and environment minister, has died in hospital care at the age of 77.

Siraj died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka at 3:25 pm Tuesday from a combination of diseases, including cancer, his wife Rabeya Siraj has confirmed.

Siraj left behind a long political legacy. He read out the manifesto of Bangladesh’s independence on behalf of students in March 1971, a momentous occasion in his early life.

Siraj spent the final days of his political career with the BNP but remained largely inactive towards the end of his life. His life was not free from controversies though.

He had been suffering from diabetes, kidney issues and high blood pressure for a long time. In 2012, his conditions were compounded with the diagnosis of lungs cancer, which was followed by brain cancer few years later.

He was admitted to Evercare Hospital after his health declined on Monday. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.

Siraj’s body was taken to his Gulshan home on Tuesday evening. It will then be taken to Tangail on Wednesday morning and his Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at Elenga and Kalihati.

His mortal remains will then be brought back to Dhaka and another Janaza will be held after Esha prayers. He will then be buried in the Banani Graveyard.

One of the four prominent leaders of Chhatra League during the Liberation War, Siraj read out the declaration of independence on behalf of the students on Mar 3, 1971.

ASM Abdur Rab, then the vice president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU), Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui, the then president of the Chhatra League and DUCSU’s general secretary of that time Abdul Quddus Makhan were the other three.

They together with Siraj were famed as the ‘Four Caliphs’ or Char Khalifa in Bangla.

Siraj played a pivotal role in laying the foundation of JaSad on parting his ways with the Awami League after independence.

Siraj joined the BNP in the 1990s and went on to become its vice-chairman before death. He served as the forest and environment minister during BNP’s regime in 2001.

Tarique Rahman, the BNP’s vice-chairman, and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have expressed their condolences at Siraj’s death.

President Abdul Hamid has offered his condolences to the late politician’s family and prayed for his soul.

Siraj, son of Abdul Gani and Marhima Begum, was born in Tangail’s Kalihati on Mar 1, 1943. His journey in politics began at Chhatra League. He served as the vice president of Chhatra Sangsad of Karatia’s Sadat College in Tangail.

He rose to leadership in the 1960s and was elected the general secretary of Chhatra League before the war.

Siraj broke away from Chhatra League to lead the formation of JaSaD and served as general secretary of its student wing. He served jail terms for some days at the time.

Though the JaSad split up into several parts later, he retained leadership of his faction with Hasanul Haque Inu at his side. Inu’s departure left him alone and he later dissolved his group to join the BNP in 1995 and was elected minister during the Four Party Alliance rule.

Siraj was arrested during the military-controlled caretaker regime in 2007 and jailed for tax evasion. His health deteriorated following his release and he gradually withdrew himself from active politics.

He represented the Tangail-4 constituency in parliament for both JaSad in 1979, 1988, 1991 and BNP in 1996 and 2001.