Siddiqui, Nure Alam
Siddiqui, Nure Alam (1944-2023) prominent student leader, President of Chhatra League, Convenor of Swadhin Bangla Kendriya Chhatra Sangram Parishad [Central Student Action Committee of Independent Bangla], one of the organizers of war of liberation, former MP and a legendary orator.
Nure Alam Siddiqui was born on 26 May 1944. His father’s name was Nurunnabi Siddiqui and mother was Nurunnahar Siddiqui. His father had involvement in politics and was a follower of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Their ancestral home was in Murshidabad district in West Bengal, India. Following partition of India in 1947, their family migrated to Jhenaidah in Jessore district of East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan) and started living there on a permanent basis.
Nure Alam Siddiqui had his primary education in the Kobindapur village school in Murshidabad district. He passed his Matriculation from Jhenaidah Model High School and Intermediate in 1962 from Keshab Chandra Pal (KC Pal) College in Jhenaidah. After his graduation from Jagannath College in 1964, he got admitted in Dhaka University from where he obtained Masters degrees in Bengali, Political Science and History. In 1970, he earned LLB degree from the same University.
Nure Alam Siddiqui grew up in a political family. His active participation in politics began from his school life. He played a very active role in the anti-Sharif Education Commission and Hamudur Rahman Education Commission Reports movements in 1962 and 1964, respectively. Siddiqui had a leading role in the 6-point and 11-point movement, the 1969 anti-Ayub mass upsurge, the 1970 elections and the 2-25 March (1971) non-cooperation movement in East Bengal at the call of Bangabandhu. He was put into jail for a long time by the Ayub government during the 6-point movement in 1966. He was the President of Chhatra league during 1970-1972, while he was the Convenor of Swadhin Bangla Kendriya Chhatra Sangram Parishad [Central Student Action Committee of Independent Bengal] being constituted in early March 1971. He was one of the organizers of the 1971 War of Liberation, playing a formidable role. His speeches were broadcast from swadhin bangla betar kendra [clandestine radio of independent Bengal] more than once in 1971 to stir up the Freedom Fighters.
While Nure Alam Siddique was a believer in liberal democracy, he was strongly opposed to left politics. In the post-independence period, he was elected MP from his local constituency on Awami League ticket in the first election held in 1973 under the government of Bangabandhu. After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, he left Awami League joining the rival faction, who formed a separate body in 1978 in the same name under the leadership of a political veteran named Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury. Later on, he returned to the mainstream Awami League, now led by Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. It may be mentioned that in the aftermath of independence, he was getting more and more inclined to business.
On 29 March 2023, Nure Alam Siddiqui died in a hospital in Dhaka at the age of 79. He was buried in the premises of a mosque built by him in Savar. He left behind his wife Perween Alam and 1 daughter and 2 sons. His elder son Tahjib Alam Siddiqui is now an MP elected on Awami League ticket. [Harun-or-Rashid]
Source Harun-or-Rashid (ed.), Bangladesh Muktijuddya Gyankosh (in Bengali) [Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation], Vol.5, (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh 2020); The Daily Star (Dhaka), 30 March 2023
