| Shamsuzzoha, (Shaheed) Mohammad
(1934-1969) educationist. Born in the district of Bankura in
West Bengal, India. Passed matriculation examination from Bankura Zilla
School in 1948 and ISc from Bakura Christian College in 1950. After the
partition of India he migrated to the East Bengal. He secured BSc (honours)
degree in Chemistry in 1953 and MSc in 1954 from Dhaka University. Mohammad
Shamsuzzoha took part actively in the language
movement in 1952 while as a student of Dhaka University. He
obtained his PhD degree in 1964 from the Imperial College of London.
Mohammad Shamsuzzoha
joined Rajshahi University in 1961 as a Development Officer and
in the same year he was appointed as lecturer in the Department
of Chemistry. He was promoted as Reader of the Chemistry Department
in 1966. He received the Proctorial responsibility of the university
from the 1st May of 1968 and was on duty till to his last breath.
He was the first university teacher to have been
martyred between 1947 and 1969. Dr Shamsuzzoha hastened the victory
of freedom loving mob by sacrificing his life. On 20 January 1969
the Pakistani army killed asaduzzaman
khan who was a student leader. |
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Mohammad Shamsuzzoha |
One of the accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, Sergant
Juhurul Haq was murdered in Dhaka Cantonment on 15 February 1969. Against
this backdrop, students of Rajshahi University started staging demonstration.
On February 17 many students were injured in police action. Dr Zoha rushed
to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital to see them. His shirt was stained
with blood of the injured. The following day the students organised a
demonstration at the main gate of the University. On the same day the
local administration imposed Section 144 on the Natore-Rajshahi Highway
adjacent to the University. The agitated students decided to violate the
Section 144 in the area where army personnel were deployed. Dr Zoha rushed
to the spot and tried to get his students back to dormitories. He talked
to army officers and urged them not to fire. But when the tension started
to subside Dr Zoha was shot.
He was rushed to hospital where he breathed his last.
Before he was shot down Dr Zoha said to his students, "I have to say this
to you that the army will not fire. If they do, the first bullet will
hit me before hitting any student". Dr Zoha kept his word.
He was buried in front of the administration building
of the university. The death of Dr Zoha added a new dimension in the anti-Ayub
mass movement. The whole country was agitated against the death of Dr
Shamsuzzoha and the fall of Ayub government was quickened. Rajshahi University
authority named a student's hall as Shahid Shamsuzzoha Hall in memory
to the supreme sacrifice of Dr Zoha for the country.
[Md Mahbub Murshed]
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