Shaheed Asad: The spark that lit a fuse in 1969
One must understand the butterfly effect to grasp the significance of Shaheed Asad in the history of Bangladesh. In early 1969, uniting the ideologically diverse group of opposition political parties in East Pakistan would have been the foremost thought in the minds of activists across the country.
On January 20, when Dhaka University student Amanullah Mohammad Asaduzzaman Asad was shot by a policeman, it took one moment for the whole nation to rally behind this revolutionary who had now become a martyr. The unity that was being sought had materialised in the form of a mass uprising.
After that, the Mass Uprising of 1969 ensued with the deaths of numerous protesters and innocent individuals in East Pakistan. It directly led to the withdrawal of the Agartala Conspiracy Case and the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from prison in February.
Ayub Khan, at that point a decade-long dictator of Pakistan, was forced to step down in March. General Yahya Khan took control of the country, announcing elections in 1970. The Awami League won this election in a clean sweep, and when the West Pakistanis refused to hand over power, the fight for independence took place in 1971.
But thinking of Shaheed Asad, whose 55th death anniversary has been observed across the country today, as only an important part of the preamble to Bangladesh's independence would do injustice to the person he was and his legacy. He died the death of a revolutionary, and his death created seismic shockwaves like the death of revolutionaries do. But what should not be forgotten is that he also lived the life of a revolutionary.
In a 2018 interview, Shaheed Asad's sister Anwara Ferdousi reminisced that he was usually seen in a khadi panjabi and trousers, an attire closely related to nationalistic political sentiments in that era. In many ways, Shaheed Asad's death was the final chapter of an intensely political life.
In 1969, Shaheed Asad was posted as the president of the Dhaka Hall unit of East Pakistan Students Union (Menon). Before this, he had enrolled in Dhaka University for his bachelor's in 1963. By 1967, he had completed his master's degree from the university as well.
The political party he was affiliated with, Students Union (Menon), was linked with NAP (Bhashani). It was at the direction of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani that he organised wings of the Krishak Samity in his native Shibpur and other adjacent areas of Narsingdi in 1967.
Later on, he came back to Dhaka University for a second master's, and during the raucous protests of late 1968 and early 1969, he was a final year MA student at the Department of History.
Tensions remained high during this time as classes in Dhaka University resumed after a break of two months on December 26, 1968, and a black flag was raised atop the Arts Building to protest government oppression across East Pakistan.
On January 4, the Eleven Points Program was announced, incorporating Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's six points from three years ago. Concurrently, the All Party Students Action Committee (Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad) was formed, creating a large tent for a diverse group of student political movements to coalesce under, and it quickly became the driver of the political movement in East Pakistan at that time.
Political actions followed for the next week or so, a political coalition named the Democratic Action Committee (DAC) was formed by the major opposition parties to join the Parishad's push against Ayub Khan.
On January 17, the DAC called a meeting and procession in Paltan Maidan. The Chhatra Parishad joined with a meeting of their own, breaching section 144. Actions followed for the next two days, and on January 20, the Parishad called a strike. The stage was set, and Shaheed Asad, tragically, was the hero who took the bullet.
The procession where Shaheed Asad was shot dead had originated in front of the Arts Building at Dhaka University, but the massive surge of people had swelled to such an extent that they had to move.
The procession avoided the strong position taken by police and EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) near Curzon Hall, and went in front of Dhaka Medical College towards Chankharpool. As the mass of students approached Old Dhaka, conflicts between police and students began, going back and forth with the police and their tear gas, and the students with their brick chips.
An hour into the conflict, the chaos had brought Shaheed Asad in close proximity to some police personnel, as he tried to lead the procession forward. A police officer named Bahauddin shot him from close range, and that is how he died.
Shaheed Asad's death started the fervour that began the process of erasing Pakistani lordship over our land. It was symbolically significant when people tore down signs of places named after Ayub Khan, and put up signs bearing the name "Asad" instead.
Asad Gate and Asad Avenue in Mohammadpur, formerly Ayub Gate and Ayub Avenue, stands as testimony to that even today. A passionate student leader who would have contributed to our liberation anyway had he been given the chance to live a longer life, Shaheed Asad instead became the spark that lit the fuse to our independence. His is a fire that will never go out.