Photo: Collected

Hefazat-e Islam Secretary General Nur Hossain Kasemi died yesterday at a hospital in Dhaka, at the age of 75.

Kasemi, also secretary general of political party Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam, was admitted at United Hospital on December 1 with breathing complications.

He was taken to Intensive Care Unit on Thursday as his condition deteriorated, Monir Hossain, a personal aide of the Hefazat leader, told The Daily Star.

Doctors declared him dead at around 12:55pm, he added.

Kasemi left behind his wife, two sons, two daughters and a host of relatives.

Kasemi, who taught 45 Islamic seminaries as part-time or principal Saikhul Hadith, was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar and politician.

He was the vice-president of Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh, senior vice-president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh and Shaykhul Hadith and rector of Jamia Madania Baridhara, Dhaka and Jamia Sobhania Mahmud Nagar.

He had played a leading role in the Hefazat movement since 2009.

Kasemi was born on January 10, 1945 in the village of Chodda in Manoharganj under Cumilla district. He went to India to study at Darul Ulum Deoband. There, after completion of a Masters in Hadith, he studied Arabic literature and philosophy.

He founded Jamia Madania Baridhara, Dhaka in 1988, and Jamia Sobhania Madrasha at Turag in 1998.

On October 2, he was elected senior vice president of Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh.

Kasemi, who was the amir of Hefazat's Dhaka city unit, was elected the Qawmi madrasa-based platform's central secretary general on November 15.

In 1975, he entered politics with Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh. He came to the central leadership of Jamiat in 1990 and on November 7, 2015 he became its secretary general.

His namaz-e-janaza will be held at 9am at the Jatiya Eidgah grounds today, following which he will be laid to final rest at the grave of Jamia Sobhania Madrasa at Turag.