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Khan Sahib Syed Muhammad Afzal (Bengali: সৈয়দ মুহম্মদ আফজাল) was a Bengali politician. He served as a member of both the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly. Afzal was noted an early supporter of the Bengali language movement.

Early life

Afzal was born into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds from the village of Shayestabad in the Backergunge District of the Bengal Presidency.

Career

Afzal was a member of the District Khilafat Committee which supported the pro-Ottoman Khilafat Movement. He was associated with the Krishak Praja Party established by A. K. Fazlul Huq. In 1937, Huq contested in several constituencies during the Bengal legislative elections and became the first ever Prime Minister of Bengal. Having successfully defeated the All-India Muslim League's candidate former Deputy Magistrate Lihaz Uddin of Kaukhali in the Firozpur North constituency, Huq gave up this seat to Afzal. The constituency covered Firozpur Sadar, Kaukhali, Swarupkathi, Banaripara and Nazirpur. Afzal was a member of the first Governing Board of the Fazlul Haq College in Chakhar founded by A. K. Fazlul Huq in 1940. Despite the party struggling to gain support at the 1946 elections as a result of the growing popularity of the Muslim League's Pakistan Movement, Afzal preserved his Firozpur North seat against Abdus Subhan Mia of the Muslim League.

He served as the chairman of the Pirojpur Municipality from 1944 to 1950. After partition, Afzal joined the Muslim League and became the Minister of Agriculture under Khawaja Nazimuddin on 16 August 1947. On 12 November 1947, he attended a Tamaddun Majlish literary conference at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall where he expressed his support for the Bengali language movement alongside Health Minister Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury and Civil Supplies Minister Nurul Amin. Clashes began between the pro-Urdu and pro-Bengali groups on 12 December 1947. A group of protestors harassed several ministers including Afzal and Education Minister Abdul Hamid, with Afzal being dragged from one place to another on the balcony within the secretariat area. Abdul Hamid came out and stated that he would resign if Bengali is not given a national status. Afzal refused police intervention to safeguard himself from the protestors, and promised the protestors that he is a supporter of the movement, urging them to calm down. He became a member of the East Bengal Language Committee and signed a twelve-member memorandum requesting the government to recognise and promote an official standardised Bengali language based on Eastern Bengali. Among those that signed the letter are Mohammad Akram Khan, Abdullah al-Baqi, Muhammad Shahidullah, Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Mizanur Rahman (Deputy Minister of Education), Syed Abul Hasnat Muhammad Ismail (Deputy Inspector-General of Police), Ajit Kumar Guha, AQM Adamuddin (Professor, Naogaon Islamic Intermediate College), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, Shamsunnahar Mahmud and Shaikh Sharafuddin (Professor, Islamic Intermediate College). On 28 June 1948, Afzal laid the foundation of the main building of the Sri Sundari High School in Lalpur, Natore.

Afzal later joined the Council Muslim League, and became the president of its Bengal branch. He was arrested after the independence of Bangladesh for allegedly supporting the Pakistan Army.

References

1. Ahmed, Siraj Uddin, ed. (1993). বরিশাল বিভাগ পরিচিতি. Dhaka: Greater Bakerganj-Patuakhali Society. pp. 36–37.
2. Matiur Rahman, Muhammad (1992). বাংলা ভাষা ও ঐতিহাসিক ভাষা আন্দোলন [Bengali language and the historical language movement] (in Bengali). Bangla Sahitya Parishad. p. 45.
3. Umar, Badruddin (1970). পূর্ববাংলার ভাষা আন্দোলন ও তৎকালীন রাজনীতি [East Bengal language movement and erstwhile politics] (in Bengali). Mawla Brothers. pp. 70–80.
4. Ahmed, Sufia (2012). "Khilafat Movement". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
5. Government of Bengal (1939). "Alphabetical list of members". Bengal Legislative Assembly Proceedings (1939). Vol. 54. Alipore.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
6. ^ Ahmed, Siraj Uddin (2010). বরিশাল বিভাগের ইতিহাস (in Bengali). Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bhaskar Prakashani.
7. Quddus, Ghulam (13 March 2017). "রাষ্ট্রভাষা আন্দোলনের সূচনা ও ১১ মার্চ ১৯৪৮" [The beginning of the national language movement and 11 March 1948]. Janakantha (in Bengali).
8. "তমদ্দুন মজলিসের মাসব্যাপী গণসংযোগ". Naya Diganta (in Bengali). 5 February 2022.
9. Khan, Habibur Rahman (26 March 2022). "ভাষা আন্দোলনের সিঁড়ি বেয়ে অভ্যুদয় ঘটে স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের" [Independent Bangladesh emerged on the stairs of the language movement]. Shiksha Totthow (in Bengali).
10. Liton, Shamsul Huda (25 February 2015). "রাষ্ট্রভাষা আন্দোলনের গোড়ার ইতিহাস" [Early history of the national language movement]. The Daily Sangram (in Bengali).
11. ভাষা আন্দোলনের ইতিহাস, কয়েকটি দলিল. Bangla Academy. 1983. p. 39.
12. Haq, Muhammad Lutful (20 February 2014). "ভাষা আন্দোলনের সূচনালগ্ন" [Beginning of language movement]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali).
13. Chanda, Dipangkar (6 February 2019). "ঢাকায় বাংলা ও উর্দু ভাষা সমর্থকদের মধ্যে সংঘর্ষ" [Clash between supporters of Bengali and Urdu language in Dhaka]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali).
14. Chaudhury, Nigar (1991). বাংলা ভাষার বিরুদ্ধে ষড়যন্ত্র ও বাঙালীর সংগ্রাম [Conspiracy against Bengali language and struggle of Bengalis] (in Bengali). Anindya Prakashan. p. 79.
15. Ghosh, Bishwajit (22 February 2017). "পূর্ববাংলা ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন ও বাস্তবতা" [East Bengal Language Committee's report and reality]. Rising BD (in Bengali).
16. Ghosh, Bishwajit (26 February 2018). "উনপঞ্চাশের ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন : একটি সমীক্ষা" [Report of the Language Committee of '49: A Survey]. Kali O Kalam (in Bengali).
17. Mukti, Imam Hasan (6 May 2022). "শুভ জন্মদিন শ্রী সুন্দরী উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়" [Happy birthday Sri Sundari High School]. Daily Prapti Prosongo (in Bengali). Lalpur, Natore.
18. Prince, Shahriyar Mahmud (7 June 2022). "ছয় দফা : অভীষ্ট গন্তব্যের লক্ষ্যভেদী অভিযাত্রা" [Six Point: Targeted journey to desired destination]. Daily Jagaran (in Bengali).
19. Tuhin, S. L. T. (30 December 2021). "৭১'র দুঃসহ স্মৃতির বরিশাল" [Barisal of sad memories of 71]. News G24 (in Bengali).

• Bengal MLAs 1937–1945
• Pakistan Muslim League politicians
• Krishak Sramik Party politicians
• People from Barisal District
• Politicians from Barisal Division
• 20th-century Bengalis
• Bengal MLAs 1946–1947
• East Bengal MLAs 1947–1954