Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani

Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani (4 December 1939 – 15 August 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the nephew of the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and founded the Mujib Bahini (Bangladesh Liberation Force-BLF)[1] one of the major guerrilla forces of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He also founded the Jubo League, the youth wing of Bangladesh Awami League.[2]

Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani
শেখ ফজলুল হক মনি
Personal details
Born	4 December 1939 Tungipara, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	15 August 1975 (aged 35) Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cause of death	Assassination
Political party	Bangladesh Awami League
Spouse(s)	Arzu Moni
Children	Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh
Profession	Politician, writer, journalist
Military service
Allegiance	Mujib Bahini
Branch/service	Infantry
Rank	Commander

Early life

Mani was born in Tungipara, Gopalganj District on 4 December 1939.[3] He studied in Nabakumar Institution in Dhaka.[3] Later, he studied at Jagannath College (HSC, 1958) and BM College (BA, 1960).[3]

Career

Mani was the founding chairman of the Jubo League. Later he served as general secretary of the then East Pakistan Chhatra League from 1960 to 1964.[3] His contribution to spearhead the historic student movement against autocratic ruler Ayub Khan’s military regime produced an immense effect. He played a pivotal role during the six-point movement in 1966. He was a student leader and general secretary of Student League.[4] In the first week of April 1971 he along with three other Awami League leaders escaped to Kolkata. The leaders were Tofael Ahmed, Abdur Razzak and Shirazul Alam Khan. They organized the Mukti Bahini in India to liberate Bangladesh.[5] Mani and P. N. Banerji, then joint director of Research and Analysis Wing (east), set up the Mujib Bahini as a counterbalance to former East Pakistan army officers in the Mukti Bahini. Members of the Mujib Bahini would go on to form the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini.[6] He took part in the war of liberation in 1971 as the commander of the Bangladesh Liberation Front. He initially supported the formation of a revolutionary council instead of an interim government which was against the wishes of Tajuddin Ahmed. He eventually had to give up on that and the interim government was formed.[7] He was considered part of the inner circle of President Mujibur and was seen as loyal to Mujibur. This was the reason given for his assassination.[8] Mani was the author of several novels, one of which was later made into a film Obanchita.

Mani was the founder of the daily newspaper Dainik Banglar Bani.[9]

Death

Mani, along with his wife Arzu Moni, was killed during the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a military coup on 15 August 1975.[10] He lived two kilometers away from Mujibur in Dhanmondi. The attack on his house was witnessed by Mahfuz Anam, who is the editor as well as the publisher of The Daily Star, whose house was on the opposite side of the lake from Mani's house. His two sons - Fazle Noor Taposh, now the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation,[11] and Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, an academician by profession - survived the attack, as they were hiding under a bed. His wife, who was thought to be pregnant, was also killed.[12]

Taposh was three years and eight months old then, while Parash was around five years. Taposh was elected to the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) in the 2008 Bangladeshi general election from the Dhaka-12 constituency.[13] He was elected Mayor of DSCC in the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election.[11] Parash currently holds the position of chairman of the Jubo League.[14]

Legacy

The Shahid Sheikh Moni Memorial International Chess Tournament, which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2015, was named in his memory.[15] An auditorium in Gopalganj, Bangladesh was named after him.[16]

Criticism

Mani was given lucrative positions in the Government formed by Sheikh Mujibur. When private trade with India was banned to slow inflation, Fazlul Haque actively engaged in it with Mujibur's blessings. This was seen as an attempt by Mujibur to form a dynasty.[17]

References

1. "No justice yet in 3 other Aug 15 cases". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
2. "Juba League is the best political organisation for youths: Ashraf". bdnews24.com. bdnews24.com. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
3. Dilruba Begum (2012). "Mani, Sheikh Fazlul Haq". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
4. Choudhury, Abdul Mannan. "Memorable 7th June 1966". modernghana.com. MG Media Group. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
5. Sengupta, Nitish (2011). Land of two rivers : a history of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. p. 556. ISBN 978-0143416784.
6. Bhaumik, Subir (1996). Insurgent crossfire : North-East India (New Delhi [u.a.] : Lancer Publishers ed.). New Delhi: Lancer. p. 66. ISBN 1897829124. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
7. Raghavan, Srinath (2013). 1971 : a global history of the creation of Bangladesh. [s.l.]: Harvard University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0674731295.
8. Reveals Wikileaks. "Mujib survived killing attempt in May 1975". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
9. Ullah, Mahfuz (2002). Press under Mujib regime. Dhaka: Kakali Prokashani. p. 90. ISBN 9789844372894.
10. "Nation in Mourning". The Daily Star. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
11. "Fazle Noor Taposh takes oath as DSCC Mayor". Banglanews24.com.
12. Alam, Shafiq. "Bangladeshi MP gets birthday justice for parents' killing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
13. "Joy, at long last". The Daily Star. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
14. "Parash named Jubo League leader, Nikhil GS". Dhaka Tribune.
15. "Pak wins wheelchair cricket,Himal finishes fifth in B'desh". myrepublica.com. Nepal Republic Media. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
16. "Shajahan Khan: BNP-Jamaat is killing people like the Pakistan Army". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
17. Ahmed, Salahuddin (2003). Bangladesh : past and present. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. p. 258. ISBN 9788176484695. Retrieved 16 June 2015.