Pankaj Bhattacharya

Pankaj Bhattacharya
পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য
Born(1939-08-06)6 August 1939
Noapara, Raozan Upazila, Chittagong District, Bengal Province, British India
Died23 April 2023(2023-04-23) (aged 83)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka
Known forDeputy commander of the NAP-Communist Party-Students Union Special Guerrilla Forces
Political partyOikya National Awami Party
Other political
affiliations		National Awami Party (Muzaffar)
Gano Forum

Pankaj Bhattacharya (Bengali: পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য; 6 August 1939 – 23 April 2023) was a left-wing politician and freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War.[1][2] He was the president of the Oikya National Awami Party.[3]

Early life

Bhattacharya was born on 6 August 1939 in Noapara, Raozan Upazila, Chittagong District, Bengal Province, British India.[4] He was expelled from Chattogram Collegiate School in 1959 for political activities.[4] He was the vice-president and later president in 1962 of the central committee of the East Pakistan Students Union.[4]

Bhattacharya studied the Bengali language at the University of Dhaka.[5] He stayed at Jagannath Hall.[5]

Career

Bhattacharya was active in the movement against Pakistani President Ayub Khan in the 1960s.[4] He was sent to jail in 1964.[6] He was again arrested in 1967 and detained in the office of the Detective Branch in the Shadhin Bangla Conspiracy Case in 1967.[6] He was kept in prison with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for 19 days.[6] Mujib asked the prison authorities to open the main gate of the prison after Bhattacharya was released so that he would not have to bow his head on the way out through the small gate.[6] He joined National Awami Party with Matia Chowdhury.[5]

Bhattacharya was the deputy commander of the NAP-Communist Party-Students Union Special Guerrilla Forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[4]

Bhattacharya was a leader of the National Awami Party (Muzaffar).[4] He provided aid during the Bangladesh famine of 1974.[6] He joined Gano Forum in the 1993 as a founding presidium member under Dr. Kamal Hossain.[7][8] He founded Shamajik Andalan as an outlet for progressive and democratic voices.[4][9]

Bhattacharya founded the Oikya National Awami Party in 2010.[4]

Bhattacharya published his memoirs Amar Sei Sab Din in 2023.[4]

Personal life

Bhattacharya was married to Rakhi Das Puraykayastha (died April 2022).[4]

Death

Bhattacharya died on 23 April 2023 at the Health and Hope Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[10][11][3] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent condolences following his death.[12] His body was kept at the Shaheed Minar where people, including Hasan Mahmud, Kamal Hossain, Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman, Nurul Islam Nahid, Rashed Khan Menon, Zonayed Saki, paid their respects.[13]

References

  1. ^ "পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য ছিলেন রাজনীতির বাতিঘর" [Pankaj Bhattacharya was a beacon of politics.]. Prothomalo (in Bengali). 19 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ "পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য : সাহসী উচ্চারণের জন্য আপনাকে মনে পড়বে" [Pankaj Bhattacharya: You will be remembered for bold accents]. The Daily Ittefaq. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Pankaj Bhattacharya passes away". The Daily Star. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Chakraborty, Gobinda (13 October 2023). "Bhattacharya, Pankaj". Banglapedia. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c রহমান, মতিউর (25 January 2023). "পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য, রেজা আলী ও সারওয়ার আলী: কেমন আছেন তিন অগ্রজ" [Pankaj Bhattacharya, Reza Ali and Sarwar Ali: How are the three senior figures?]. Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e হুসেন, আখতার (24 April 2023). "পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য: ইতিহাসের উজ্জ্বল পুরুষ" [Pankaj Bhattacharya: A brilliant figure in history.]. Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ "কে এই পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্য" [Who is Pankaj Bhattacharya?]. Dhaka Prakash. 23 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Veteran politician Pankaj Bhattacharya passes away". Prothomalo. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Veteran politician Pankaj Bhattacharya dies at 84". Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  10. ^ প্রতিবেদক, নিজস্ব (24 April 2023). "প্রবীণ রাজনীতিক পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্যের জীবনাবসান". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  11. ^ "পঙ্কজ ভট্টাচার্যের প্রথম মৃত্যুবার্ষিকীতে শ্রদ্ধা নিবেদন". Kaler Kantho. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Veteran politician, Liberation War organiser Pankaj Bhattacharya passes away". The Business Standard. 24 April 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Last tributes to Pankaj Bhattacharya paid at Shaheed Minar". The Business Standard. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
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