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Humayun Azad Departs Our World |
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Humayun Azad is no more-2: Protests held in Dhaka
Citizens of Dhaka took the sad news of sudden death of Dr. Humayun Azad with unexpected surprise and rude shock. The university community and academic circles literarily became what we call thunderstruck. Students community by and large and his colleagues couldn�t believe that he met a natural death. Today, as of yesterday all left leaning students organizations & Chhatra league brought out protest rallies, formed human chains and held protest meetings in which the speakers demanded an international inquiry of his sudden death. His daughters and son suspect that he might have been poisoned some how on the dreadful night of August 10. The Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) brought out a silent procession today (14th August) which paraded through the campus ending at the Central Shahid Minar. The leaders of the Association demanded an international inquiry which should reveal the situation which led to the sad demise of the famous writer. Dr. Arefin Siddiqui, President of DUTA, categorically said, �It is difficult to believe that his death is natural. When he left for Germany he was in good health, at least he didn�t show any symptoms of ailment that could lead to heart failure or brain stroke. As far as we know he had no serious heart ailment.� Dr. Siddiqui continued, �Anyway we want an international & impartial enquiry which must unveil the circumstances and cause of his death.� In the meanwhile, Mrs. Azad received an e-mail from PEN president based in Munich which stated that �PEN� would make all arrangement of deporting his dead body to the deceased family all the way to Dhaka. He has requested Mrs. Azad to give a signed letter of authorization to PEN in dealing the matter. In an interview with Channel I, Mrs. said that she would hand over the letter to the Dhaka German embassy today. The Pen president is believed to have said that as the result of postmortem so far known there is no sign of his unnatural death. With all probability the cause of his death is brain stroke in sleep. The body of Azad, as the PEN source indicated could not be dispatched before Thursday (19th August). Daud Haider From Berlin** In a dispatch sent from Berlin (published in daily Sangbad, 14. 08. 04) the Bengali Poet, now living in Berlin in exile, informed some tit bits of the circumstances of Humayun�s death. Daud had telephonic conversation with the Mr. Eyohannes Strassar (not sure about the spelling), President of PEN, German Chapter following the death of Dr. Azad, perhaps on 13th August. He gives a long quotation from the PEN president in his dispatch which reads as follows: �It was prefixed that my son would take Humayun Azad to the police office at 10 a.m. on Thursday to complete some formalities e.g. registration of the address of his residence. After waiting for over an hour during which he pushed the calling bell many a times he returned to inform me that Humayun Ahmed might be out somewhere. My son twice went to meet Humayun at his apartment in the afternoon and again in the evening on the same day without success. He again went to his residence in the morning, yesterday i.e. Friday, but again didn�t get any response on pushing the bail. He then rang me. I immediately went there and called him without any response. This invoked some suspicion. We called the police and broke open the door of his flat only to discover his still body. Police at once requisitioned an ambulance which arrived with two doctors almost immediately. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him dead. They opined that at least 24 hours before the death had occurred. He met his death most probably because of stroke and in sleep; perhaps he died early in the morning. The doctors further opined that death seemed to be quite natural, but his heart seemed to be rather very weak.� Those are the words of Mr. Eyohannes Strassar. He is the president of German PEN. He is a famous writer and a leader of SPD. Last Monday (9th August), Mr. Eyohannes Strassar told me from Munich over telephone, �Dr. Azad is still somewhat weak On Friday next (13th August) he is to see a doctor for a good health checkup. I took him to a dinner on last Sunday (8th August) in a restaurant. Dr. Azad commented in course of our conversation, �Ah! I am saved from the clutches of the fundamentalists, at least for one year.� Today (9th August) evening he would attend a party. The party has been arranged for him. Some professors of Munich university and some writers have also been invited. Eyohannes Strassar further said, �I am broken at the sad demise of Dr. Azad. Because I invited him to come to Munich, and personally received him at the airport.� On my enquiry �where is the dead body of Humayun Azad� he replied, �in hospital morgue. It would take from 3-5 days to send back his body as we need some papers from Dhaka. German Embassy would send the papers. But Saturday and Sunday are holidays in Dhaka, as well as here. Without police clearance dead body could not be sent.� I told him that his death has invoked some suspicion in Dhaka circles. He said, �I have heard it too. But he died because of stroke, and during sleep. Natural death. Whatever one might think off, the doctor�s report saying that he died of stroke is perhaps correct.� [Daud Haider, Sangbad, 14th August] ** Mr. Daud Haider even today over telephone narrated almost the same story to the Channel I reporter. He informed that his body is lying at the hospital morgue with police formalities completed. The hospital has collected necessary specimen for further investigation. But there is very little hope that some new information would be available from the further two investigations. However the report would not be available before a week. The dead body is now available for dispatch to Dhaka. Haider further informed that only a small Bengali community lives in Germany. There is hardly any possibility that there would be any protest rally as Bengalis living here have accepted the police version of his death. [Daud Haider�s telephonic conversation, Saturday night, 14th August] The telephonic conversation of the Channel I reporter with the Bangladesh ambassador reveal no new information. The ambassador said that no one yet is allowed to see dead body of Dr. Azad. He however said that his office is ready to receive the body as when police handed over it to them and the body would be dispatched sooner it gets ok signal from the Bangladesh government foreign office. Ajoy Roy Dhaka 14. 08. 04 11-30 p.m. |
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