Language movement veteran and eminent poet Ahmed Rafiq passed away due to various health complications on Thursday night. He was 96.
He breathed his last at 10:12pm on Thursday at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of BIRDEM Hospital in Dhaka, said his special assistant Md Russel.
Doctors at the hospital reported that Ahmed Rafiq suffered a cardiac arrest seven minutes before being declared dead.
He was put on life support after his health condition deteriorated significantly on Wednesday afternoon.
Dr Kaniz Fatema, head of the ICU department, supervised the treatment of Rafiq who had been struggling with kidney problems. He had suffered multiple mild strokes recently.
On 11 September, Rafiq was discharged from LabAid Hospital and admitted to Health and Hope Hospital on Panthapath. However, due to inadequate medical facilities there, he was transferred to BIRDEM on Sunday for specialised care.
Born on 12 September 1929 in Brahmanbaria, Rafiq lost his wife in 2006 and had no children. He lived alone in a rented apartment in New Eskaton of Dhaka.
A distinguished historian and writer of the Language Movement, Rafiq authored and edited over 100 books. He was the recipient of prestigious awards, including Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Award.
His contributions to Rabindra studies in both Bangladesh and India were highly regarded. The Tagore Research Institute in Kolkata awarded him the title of “Rabindratattwacarya”.
Since 2019, Rafiq’s eyesight had deteriorated severely, and despite surgery, his vision did not improve. By 2023, he was nearly blind. Following a fall in 2021, which resulted in a broken leg, his health gradually declined.
It has been confirmed that before his death, Rafiq donated his body to Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital Medical College for medical research and education.
