Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, a liberation war veteran and one of the doyens of the country's politics, passed away at a city hospital yesterday. He was 69.
The Gono Forum general secretary, who had been fighting lung cancer for the last one and a half years, breathed his last at 10.50am at Comfort Hospital where he was admitted on January 24, hospital sources said.
He left behind wife Dr Faozia Muslem, daughters Joya and Geeta to mourn his death.
Manik was former president and general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and kept himself attached to different socio-cultural and sports organisations. He was one of the founders of Chhayanaut, a popular cultural outfit.
President Iajuddin Ahmed, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, leaders of different political, socio-cultural and sports organisations expressed deep shock at the bereavement.
The president and the chief adviser in their messages said people would always remember him for his contribution to the student movements in the 60s, the liberation war, and other democratic and progressive movements.
They prayed for salvation of his departed soul and conveyed their sympathy to the bereaved family members.
The veteran politician will be buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard after final namaz-e-janaza today at National Eidgah following Zohr prayers. His younger daughter Geeta has left Cambridge for Dhaka to attend the funeral.
Manik was taken to Singapore for better treatment after diagnosed with cancer. He flew back home 10 days ago and was admitted to Comfort Hospital.
His body was taken to his 45/1 Gopibagh residence from hospital at about 12.20pm where hundreds of people including his political comrades, friends and well-wishers gathered to pay their last respect to him.
Leaders of different political parties -- Awami League, BNP, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Gono Forum -- and Dhaka City Corporation mayor also rushed to his residence at the news of his death.
The dead body was taken to Brothers Union Club at Gopibagh in the afternoon where a wide cross section of the society paid their tribute to the deceased leader.
The body was later taken to Gopibagh Jame Masjid, near his residence, where the first namaz-e-janaza was held, and then to Birdem mortuary.
The coffin will be taken to Central Shaheed Minar at 11:00am today so that people from all social strata could pay their last tribute to the leader, who played a significant role during the liberation war in 1971.
Saifuddin Ahmed Manik was born in Jalpaiguri in India on June 24 in 1939. His ancestral home is in Parshuram upazila of Feni district. His family returned to Dhaka in 1948 after the partition of the sub-continent.
He got involved in politics in 1963 and was a prominent student leader and front-line political leader in the student and political movements of 1962, 1966, 1969, 1971 and 1990.
Manik was elected an organiser of CPB central committee in 1972 and secretary in 1973. After the death of CPB president Comrade Farhad, he was elected party president in 1987.
He was one of the founders of Dr Kamal Hossain-led Gono Forum, formed in 1993, and was elected its general secretary the same year.
BNP leaders Saifur Rahman, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, and Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, AL acting President Zillur Rahman, Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed, Dhaka City Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Manjurul Ahsan Khan and its General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh President Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury and General Secretary Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, and leaders of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Workers Party, Gono Forum, Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP), Jatiya Shramik Jote, Shramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal, Left Democratic Front, Bangladesh Krishak Samity, Ganatantrik Bam Morcha, Jatiya Samajtantrik Shramik Jote, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), Peshajibi Nari Samaj, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Bangladesh Handball Federation, Bangladesh Archery Federation, Bangladesh Kho Kho Federation, Bangladesh Sports Council, Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra, International Trade Union Confederation, and Hazaribagh Tannery Workers Union expressed deep shock at his death.