Chandpur, Aug 23 (UNB) – Language Movement veteran Dr MA Gafur passed away on Friday at a Dhaka hospital. He was 85.
He breathed his last at Samarita Hospital, said his eldest son Dr Shakil Gafur.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, and Advocate Nurul Amin Ruhul, MP, extended condolences to the bereaved family.
Gafur is survived by two sons and a daughter.
He was laid to rest at Gor-e-Gariba graveyard after namaz-e-janaza at Chandpur Municipal Eidgah Moidan.
Gafur, born in Char Korailia of Haimchar upazila, took part in the 1952 Language Movement while he was studying at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was an active language activist and accompanied language veterans MA Wadud, Oli Ahad, Principal Abul Kashem, Nurul Haque Bhuiyan, and Abdul matin.
During the Liberation War, the Pakistani occupation forces burnt down his house in Char Koralia.
Gafur donated land worth Tk 4 crore for setting up Chandpur Diabetic Samity and was its founding general secretary. He was also a former general secretary of Chandpur Eye Hospital.
His wife Prof Mahmuda Khatun was the daughter of Shahed Ali Patwari, the then Speaker of Parliament.
Gafur’s eldest son Shakil is working as an associate professor at Rangpur Medical College and youngest son Prof Dr Shayer Gafur teaches at BUET.
