Veteran Politician Dabirul Islam Passes Away
Freedom fighter Dabirul Islam. Photo: Collected
Former Member of Parliament for Thakurgaon-2 and freedom fighter Dabirul Islam has died. He passed away on Thursday at around 5:30 pm while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.
The family said he was admitted to Square Hospital in Dhaka on May 25 after falling ill. He died there on Eid day while receiving treatment. His burial will take place tomorrow, Friday, at the family graveyard in Baliadangi upazila.
Born on September 29, 1948, in Borobari village of Baliadangi upazila in Thakurgaon district, he became involved in politics during his student life. He was initially active in the politics of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB).
He was first elected to parliament in the 1986 national election from Thakurgaon-2 as a candidate of a 15-party alliance. He also won the 1991 election as a CPB candidate.
Later in 1996, Dabirul Islam joined the Awami League. He was subsequently elected multiple times as a party-nominated candidate. By winning elections in 2001, 2008, 2014 and 2018, he set a rare record of serving as Member of Parliament for seven consecutive terms. In the 2014 election, he was elected unopposed. In the 2018 election, he defeated a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.
During his long political career, he served as chairman of parliamentary standing committees on the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Housing and Public Works, Social Welfare, and Science and Technology. He also served for a long time as president of the Thakurgaon District Awami League.
In the 2024 national election, his son Mazharul Islam received the Awami League nomination in his place and was elected to parliament.
Following the mass uprising later that year, a case was filed against Dabirul Islam on allegations of extortion, land grabbing and threats to life. He was arrested on October 2. After being released on bail from Dinajpur District Jail on February 19 this year, his health deteriorated, and he was taken to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
