Shafiul Alam Pradhan

Shafiul Alam Pradhan (1 January 1949 – 21 May 2017) was a Bangladeshi politician and student leader of the pre-independence era. He served as the general secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and was the founding president of the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa). He was also a senior leader of the 20-Party Alliance.

Pradhan was born on 1 January 1949 in Tokrabhāshā village under Thakurgaon subdivision of Dinajpur District in East Bengal, then part of Pakistan (now in Debiganj Upazila of Panchagarh District, Bangladesh). His father, Gamir Uddin Pradhan, was a politician. He completed his secondary education at Siddheswari Boys' High School in Dhaka.^[1]

After completing school, Pradhan enrolled at Sheikh Borhanuddin Post Graduate College, where he became involved in student politics and was elected general secretary of the student union. He later studied sociology at the University of Dhaka and served as vice-president (VP) of Salimullah Muslim Hall.

During his student life, Pradhan joined the East Pakistan Chhatra League and actively participated in the 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.^[1][2]

After the independence of Bangladesh, Pradhan was elected the central general secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League. On 30 March 1974, he and then vice-president Ismat Qader Gama publicly disclosed a list of alleged corrupt individuals at a rally near Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and demanded action from the government.^[3]

However, following the killing of seven students at Dhaka University on 7 April 1974, Pradhan was accused, removed from his post, arrested, and later convicted. He was released in 1977 after Ziaur Rahman assumed power.^[4]

On 6 April 1980, Pradhan founded the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa) and remained active in national politics and protest movements.

Pradhan contested the 2008 Bangladeshi general election from Dinajpur-3 constituency.^[5]

Pradhan was married to Rehana Pradhan, who was a former member of the central committee of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and later served as a professor of sociology at Lalmatia Government Women's College. She also became the second president of Jagpa and died in 2018.^[6]

His daughter Tasmia Pradhan is a barrister and current president of Jagpa, while his son Al Rashed Pradhan serves as vice-president of the party.^[7]

Pradhan died on 21 May 2017 at his residence in the Asad Gate area of Dhaka after suffering a cardiac arrest.^[2] He was buried at Banani Graveyard beside his father's grave the following day.^[8]

• "In memory of Shafiul Alam Pradhan". Daily Naya Diganta. 20 May 2018.