Karim, Khan Bahadur Abdul

Karim, Khan Bahadur Abdul (1873-1945) lawyer, politician. He was born on 12 September 1873. His father Maulvi Ahmad was a deputy magistrate and his mother was Syeda Saiyidunnesa. His paternal home was at village Bahernagar in Bajitpur upazila of Kishoreganj district. His family traces its descent from Hazrat Shah Taj Mohammad, a renowned Muslim theologian and a sufi saint of Iraq who came to Bengal for preaching Islam sometime in the thirteenth century.

Abdul Karim had his early education at the places of posting of his father in Barisal, Sudharam and Faridpur. He passed entrance examination from Dhaka Madrasa in 1890 and FA examination in 1892 from Dhaka College. He obtained BA (Hons) degree in English literature in 1895 from St. Xaviers College in Kolkata and stood first in first class. He got BL degree in 1898 from Calcutta University.

Abdul Karim began his career as a lawyer in Dhaka Judge Court in 1899. He joined as Public Prosecutor in Comilla Judge Court in 1903. He was the chairman of Tippera District Board from 1922 to 1927. He had been a member of the Council of State of the Indian Legislative Assembly from 1926 to 1930. While a member of the Council of State, he was included in the panel of the chairman twice at Delhi and Simla Conference in 1927 and also twice at Delhi and Simla Conference in 1928.

While a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly, Abdul Karim presided over the Bengal Provincial Muslim Conference held at Faridpur in 1930.

Abdul Karim was elected a member of the Bengal Legislative Council in 1937. He was included in the cabinet of Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq in 1941 in charge of the Ministry of Education. The British Government of India conferred upon him the title of Khan Bahadur.

Abdul Karim died on 3 March 1945 at his native village Bahernagar. [Eshraqul Majid]