Jatiya Oikya Front candidate Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury dies at 84

TIM Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury, a Jatiya Oikya Front candidate, has died at the age of 84.

The former minister and six-time Gaibandha-3 MP had been suffering from heart disease for a long time. Chowdhury was a leader of Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar).

Golam Mostafa, the Press Wing chief of Chowdhury’s party, told bdnews24.com that he fell ill around 2am on Wednesday and was taken to Dhaka’s United Hospital, where he died while receiving care.

The funeral prayers for the paddy sheaf candidate will be held at the Chairman Bari Mosque in Banani on Thursday after Zuhr prayers. His body will be taken to the Palashbari area of his Gaibandha constituency on Friday morning. There he will be laid to rest at his family graveyard after another funeral service.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir rushed to United Hospital after Chowdhury’s death. He spoke to the bereaved family.

Several leaders from the Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), including Secretary General Mostofa Jamal Haider, Presidium members ASM Alam, Zafrullah Khan Chowdhury, Shafiuddin Bhuiyan and Joint Secretary General ASM Shameem, were also present at the hospital.

Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury had served as land minister in the 80s during the reign of HM Ershad.

The former Bangladesh Agricultural University vice chancellor was elected six times under the Jatiya Party ticket.

He took control of the Kazi Zafar Ahmed faction of the Jatiya Party, which had joined the 20-Party Alliance, after Ahmed’s death.

Chowdhury had been selected as the Oikya Front’s paddy sheaf candidate for the Gaibandha-3 seat. He had campaigned in his constituency two days ago. He was planning to campaign in the area again on Friday.

Chowdhury leaves behind a wife, three sons and two daughters.