Shajahan Siraj

Shajahan Siraj (1 March 1943 – 14 July 2020) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the vice chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). As a student, he was involved with the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was one of the founders of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. Siraj served five terms as the member of parliament for the Tangail-4 unit; he was arrested in 2007 for tax evasion. He died at the age of 77 due to cancer[4]

Shajahan Siraj
Member of Parliament
for Tangail-4
In office
03 March 1986 – 20 March 1991
Preceded byAbdur Rahim[1]
Succeeded byHimself
Minister of Environment and Forest
In office
10 October 2001 – 6 May 2004
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
In office
20 March 1991 – 30 March 1996
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byAdvocate Gautam Chakroborty[2]
In office
1 October 2001 – 28 October 2006
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byAdvocate Gautam Chakroborty
Succeeded byAbdul Latif Siddiqui[3]
Minister of Textiles
In office
6 May 2004 – 29 October 2006
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Personal details
Born1 March 1943
Tangail, Bangladesh
Died14 July 2020(2020-07-14) (aged 77)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Nationalist Party
Other political
affiliations		Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal
Spouse(s)Rabeya Siraj
OccupationPolitician

Early life

Siraj attended Government Saadat College, where he was twice elected vice president of the student council. He served as the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student organization of the Awami League. He was a leader of the Mukti Bahini and one of the leaders of Bangladesh liberation. Siraj was one of the designers of the Bangladesh flag. Siraj read the manifesto of Bangladesh independence on March 3, 1971, in front of millions of people in the presence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He served as the acting General Secretary and also the president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD).[5]

Career

Siraj won election to parliament five times from constituency Tangail-4, Kalihati. Roads, bridges, schools, colleges, hospitals, and mosques were built for the people of Kalihati during his tenure as a M.P. He served as a minister, for the Government of Bangladesh, during 1991 and 2001 BNP's tenure.[6] During his tenure as the environment minister,[7] the use and production of plastic shopping bags (polythene bags) were banned in Bangladesh, 3-stroke scooters were withdrawn from the road, and social tree plantation turned into a movement.

In 2007, arrest warrants were issued for Siraj in connection with thirteen charges of tax evasion.[8] He was sentenced to thirteen years in jail, and his wife three.[6][9]

Personal life

Siraj was married to Mrs. Rabeya Siraj,[8] who is a women's movement leader, president of the BNP's Dhaka city women's front, and a member of the BNP national executive committee. Mr and Mrs Siraj have one daughter and one son. Their daughter, Barrister Sarwat Siraj, is a practising Advocate at the Bangladesh Supreme Court. Their son, Rajiv Siraj, is a member of board of directors of One Group.

Death

Shahjahan Siraj died on 14 July 2020 at a hospital in Dhaka. He had been suffering from cancer for a long time.[10]

References
  1. http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/mps/members-of-parliament/former-mp-s/list-of-3rd-parliament-members-bangla
  2. http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/mps/members-of-parliament/former-mp-s/list-of-7th-parliament-members-bangla
  3. http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/mps/members-of-parliament/former-mp-s/list-of-9th-parliament-members-bangla
  4. "Former minister and freedom fighter Shahjahan Siraj no more". the daily star . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "Declaration of Independence - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  6. "Ex-BNP minister Shajahan gets 13 yrs for graft". Bangladesh News. 23 April 2008.
  7. "Rickshaw riots in Bangladesh". BBC News. 31 January 2002.
  8. "11 tax-dodging cases filed against Shajahan Siraj, family". The Daily Star. 17 July 2007.
  9. Bangladesh, The Financial Express. "The Financial Express | Financial Online Newspaper". The Financial Express Online Version. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  10. "Veteran politician Shahjahan Siraj passes away". Dhaka Tribune. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2020-07-14.

Further reading
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