Sayadul Haque: A leftist who spearheaded the Language Movement in northern Ctg
His role was crucial to the point that it made him a major target of the then Pakistani regime
The political left in northern Chattogram was shining in the 1950s and Sayadul Haque was one of those shining the brightest among the leaders. When the Language Movement began, he was at the forefront to spread its fire in Mirsharai.
Sayadul's role in spearheading the movement in the region was crucial to the point that it made him a major target of the then Pakistani regime. Security forces raided and vandalised his house while he was forced to go in hiding.
Born in 1914 in the Ichakhali union of Mirsharai, Sayadul was deeply inspired by leftist political ideologies. His exposure to Marxism and Leninism happened in Calcutta while visiting his father who lived there at the time. Later, he would bring back various newspapers, books and bulletins of the Communist Party and spread them among fellow activists.
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Soon after the Language Movement began in Dhaka University in 1952, he spread the movement among the students in Northern Chattogram. Demonstrations were held in various places including Mirsharai, Sadar, Baratakia, and Durgapur against the Pakistani oppressors. At one point, the railway line at Baratakia railway station was uprooted.
A staunch supporter of progressive politics, Sayadul was the first president of Awami League's Mirsharai unit. He later joined the National Awami Party (NAP), the major left-wing political party in the then East Pakistan, founded in 1957 by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan.
Sayadul also played a crucial role during the Liberation War in 1971 by establishing several revolutionary bases in his area. His immense love for the country also inspired his children, six of whom took part in the war.
Sayadul, son of Maqbool Ahmed and Magan Bibi, studied at Jorarganj High School in Mirsarai. He died on 30 December 1988.
