Chowdhury, AFM Abdul Alim

Chowdhury, AFM Abdul Alim (1928-1971) phisician, martyr intellectual. Abul Fayez Mohammad Abdul Alim Chowdhury was born on 3 Baisakh 1335 BS (1928 AD) at village Khayerpur in Ashtagram thana of Kishoreganj district. His father was Abdul Hekim Chowdhury and mother Syeda Yakutunnessa. He passed Marticulation from Kishoreganj High School in 1945 and ISc from Islamia College, Kolkata in 1948. He obtained MBBS degree from Dhaka Medical College in 1955 and Diploma in Ophthalmology in 1961 from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, England.

Alim Chowdhury started his career as Registrar of Saint James and Whips Cross Hospital in London (1961-1963). He was the chief eye specialist (1963-1965) in Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital, Associate Professor of Department of Ophthalmology in IPGMR (1967) and Associate Professor of Dhaka Medical College (1968-1970), Rajshahi Medical College (1971) and Sir Salimullah Medical College (1971).

Alim Chowdhury was active in politics along with his profession as physician. He had active role in making the strike of fourth class employees of Dhaka University a success in 1948. In 1952 he joined the language movement and had to suffer imprisonment in 1954 for hoisting flag on Shaheed Day. He was the vice president of Dhaka Medical College Students'; Union (1954-1955), joint secretary of East Pakistan unit of Pakistan Medical Association (1957-1958), general secretary in 1967-1968, and the general secretary of East Pakistan Ophthalmological Society in 1969.

Alim Chowdhury earned reputation as a writer. While still a student he was the editor of monthly Khapchhara (1941-1942), monthly Jatrik (1952-1953) and editor of East Pakistan Medical Journal (1957-1958). It was by his initiative that a branch of the Bangla Academy was launched in London. A good number of his articles were published in various national and international journals and newspapers.

Alim Chowdhury took active part in relief work during the Indo-Pak War in 1965 and in relief work and treatment of the distressed people after tidal bore and cyclone in 1970. During the War of Liberation in 1971 he devoted himself to the treatment of injured freedom fighters. On 14 December 1971 some armed cadres of al-Badr abducted him from his residence (29/1 Purana Paltan, Dhaka). His dead body was recovered from the scaffold of Rayer Bazar.

The Postal Department of the Government of Bangladesh issued commemorative postal stamp in his name on the Martyred Intellectual Day on 14 December 1991. [Bayzid Khurshid Reaz]