Ahmed Rafiq, iconic Language Movement activist, dies at 96

The lifelong campaigner spent his final days in and out of hospital

Veteran Language Movement activist and researcher Ahmed Rafiq has died in Dhaka at the age of 96.

He breathed his last at 10:12pm on Thursday at Dhaka’s BIRDEM Hospital after doctors removed his ventilation support, cultural activist Dipanto Rayhan, who was present at the hospital, told bdnews24.com.

Ismile Saadi, trustee of the Ahmed Rafiq Foundation and assistant professor at BRAC University, said: “ Rafiq will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar at 11am on Saturday, for people to pay their respects.

“As he donated his body, it will then be handed over to BIRDEM Hospital,” he added.

On Sept 11, Rafiq was admitted to the Hospital. In the previous month, he was hospitalised twice at Labaid Hospital.

Rafiq is suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney failure, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, electrolyte imbalance, bedsores, and lung infections, according to doctors.

Born on Sept 12, 1929, in Shahbazpur, Brahmanbaria, Rafiq completed his higher secondary education at Horganga College in Munshiganj before enrolling at Dhaka University to study chemistry.

Due to residential issues at Fazlul Haque Hall, however, he transferred to Dhaka Medical College.

Rafiq participated in the 1952 Language Movement, working closely with students from different campuses. He was the only student from Dhaka Medical College to have an arrest warrant issued against him in 1954.

Though he earned an MBBS degree, Rafiq chose to focus on writing rather than pursuing a career in medicine.

In 1958, he published his first book, Shilpo Songskriti Jibon (Art, Culture, and Life). Rafiq received numerous accolades, including the Ekushey Padak, Bangla Academy Award, and Rabindra Sahitya Award for his contributions to literature.