The name of Birshreshtha Shaheed Ruhul Amin Divisional Stadium has been changed as Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium following a government directive yesterday.
State Minister for Labour Begum Munnujan Sufian unveiled the name plaque of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium through a ceremony that also marked the 35th death anniversary of Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury, an Awami League leader and one of the organisers of the country's War of Liberation.
The stadium, set up on 30 acres of land at Halishahar, was inaugurated as Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on June 17, 2001 during the Awami League government.
But it was renamed immediately after the BNP government came to power in October later in that year and it bore the name for the last seven years.
However, restoration of its original name replacing the name of a war hero created a mixed reaction among the freedom fighters and other professionals in the port city.
"Zahur Ahmed had remarkable contribution to the War of Liberation in Chittagong and naming the stadium after him was logical," observed Chittagong University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Abu Yusuf.
Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, a freedom fighter and researcher of Bangladesher Mukti Sangram O Muktijuddha Gobeshona Kendra (Research centre for liberation movement and liberation war of Bangladesh), expressed his strong resentment over the renaming.
"The step may create a conflict among the freedom fighters or their living family members and put a dent on their relationship and unity," he observed.
"There is no scope to deny the great role of Zahur Ahmed in the Liberation War. But, some other installation or road could be named after Zahur," said Mahfuzur.
Chittagong Divisional Sports Association (CDSA) president and Chittagong Divisional Commissioner MNA Siddique presided over the ceremony where CDSA vice-president Ali Abbas, Chittagong District Sports Association's former vice-president AZM Nasir Uddin, CDSA general secretary Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir and Zahur Ahmed's son Sharfuddin Ahmed Chowdhury were also present.