Siraj, Sajahan
Siraj, Sajahan (1943-2020) prominent student leader, reader of ‘charter of independence’, one of the organizers of War of Liberation, one among the founders of opposition JSD in the post-independence period, 5 times MP and former Minister in BNP government.
Sajahan Siraj was born on 1 March 1943 in Tangail town. His father’s name was Abdul Ghani Miah and mother was Rahima Begum. His father was a lawyer. Their ancestor’s home was at village Gohail Bari in Sakhipur upazila under Tangail district.
Sajahan Siraj studied up to class five in Tangail Adarshaw [Ideal] Primary School. He passed his Matriculation from Bindu Bashini High School in 1959 and Intermediate in 1961 from Saa’dat College, Karotia. He earned his BSc degree from the same college. He joined the War of Liberation of 1971, when he was an LLB. examinee of Dhaka University.
Sajahan Siraj grew up in to politics, while he was a school student. As a college student, he took active part in the movements launched by the student community against the Sharif Education Commission (1962) and Hamudur Rahman Education Commission (1964) Reports. That was during the reign of General Ayub Khan. Sajahan Siraj was the elected General Secretary of Saa’dat College Students Union for two terms during 1964-1967. In 1967, he was raised to the central leadership of Chhatra League. During 1970-1972, he was the General Secretary of Chhatra League.
He played a leadership role in all movements beginning from Bangabandhu’s 6-point in 1966 to the 1971 War of Liberation. In a mammoth public meeting held in the Palton ground on 3 March 1971 in the presence of Bangabandhu on the dais, Sajahan Siraj read out ‘the charter of independence’. During War of Liberation, he was regional co-chief of Mujib Bahini.
In the post-independence period, a breakaway radical section mainly from Chhatra League formed an anti-government party (31 October 1972) named Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal [National Socialist Party]. Sajahan Siraj was one of its founders. At one stage under army rule (1975-1990), as JSD was split into different groups, the faction led by Sajahan Siraj merged into BNP in 1995 by dissolving itself.
Sajahan Siraj was elected Member of Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) for 5 times (1979, 1988, 1991, mid February 1996 and 2001) in his political career. Twice he was Minister in Khaleda Zia’s BNP government. After long suffering from cancer, he breathed his last in Dhaka on 14 July 2020. He left behind his wife Rabeya Siraj and 1 daughter 1 son. [Harun-or-Rashid]
Source Harun-or-Rashid (ed.), Bangladesh Muktijuddya Gyankosh (in Bengali) [Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation], Vol.9, (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh 2020)
