Distinguished left-leaning politician, scholar, educator, writer, and researcher Badruddin Umar passed away on Sunday. He was 94.
He had been suffering from old-age complications for a long time. On Sunday morning, his condition worsened, and he was taken to Bangladesh Specialized Hospital in Dhaka, where he passed away at 10:05 am. Secretary of the National Liberation Council, Faizul Hakim Lala, confirmed the news.
Born on December 20, 1931, in Burdwan, in Indian West Bengal state, Umar was the son of Abul Hashim, a prominent political figure in the Indian subcontinent. He began his academic career as a part-time lecturer at the University of Dhaka and later founded the Department of Sociology at Rajshahi University. Before fully dedicating himself to politics and writing, he also served as a professor in the Department of Political Science at Rajshahi University.
Umar was deeply involved in left-leaning politics throughout his life. He served as president of the Bangladesh Krishak Federation (Peasants’ Federation), was the central coordinator of the Democratic Revolutionary Alliance, and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of East Bengal. In 2003, he founded the National Liberation Council and served as its president.
His decades-long contributions as a scholar and political thinker have left an indelible mark on Bangladesh’s intellectual and political landscape.
