Former Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader and freedom fighter Shib Narayan Das, who had designed the first flag of Bangladesh before independence, died聽 while undergoing treatment at a Dhaka hospital on Friday morning.
He was 78.
He breathed his last at 9:25am on the day at the intensive care unit of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in the capital, his son Arnab Aditya Das confirmed.
United News of Bangladesh added that Shib Narayan was born in Cumilla and his father was Satish Chandra Das who was captured and killed by the Pakistan army during the War of Independence in 1971.
Shib Narayan is survived by his wife Gitashree Chowdhury and their son Arnab Das.
Shib Narayan joined politics following language movement hero Dhirendranath Dutta.
He participated in the education movement of 1962 and was imprisoned.
He was an activist and leader of the Bangladesh Chhatra League.
On June 7, 1970, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was scheduled to take part in a student parade held at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka. For this purpose, a squad of students was formed named as 鈥楩ebruary-15 Force鈥�. The student leaders decided to create a flag of this force.
On June 6, 1970, with this aim then Chhatra League leaders ASM Abdur Rab, Shahjahan Siraj, Kazi Aref Ahmed and Marshal Monirul Islam sat in room 108 of Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall of Dhaka University to discuss the flag plan.
Chhatra League leader Swapan Kumar Chowdhury, Jagannath College BCL leader Nazrul Islam, Cumilla district BCL general secretary and central student leader Shib Narayan Das, then East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology BCL general secretary Hasanul Haq Inu and student leader Yusuf Salauddin were present at the meeting.
At the end of the discussion based on the initial proposal of Kazi Aref, it was decided that a flag would be made with a yellow map of Bengal in the middle of the red sun on the green ground. Kamrul Alam Khan then stitched a red circle in the middle of a large piece of green cloth from a Bihari tailor鈥檚 shop in Dhaka鈥檚 New Market.
Then the map of East Pakistan was drawn on a piece of tracing paper with an atlas from Enamul Haque of room 312 of Titumir Hall of the then EPUET.
Shib Narayan Das finally drew the map with his skillful hands in the middle of the red circle.
Later, according to the instructions of the country鈥檚 founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Patua Kamrul Hasan gave a new look to the national flag of Bangladesh.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin expressed profound shock at the death of country鈥檚 wartime national flag designer and valiant freedom fighter Shib Narayan Das.
In a condolence message, the president prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
In a condolence message, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD president ASM Abdur Rob, general secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmod Shapon expressed their deep shock at the demise of the flag designer and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod president Hasanul Haq Inu, general secretary Shirin Akhter and Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Sharif Nurul Ambia and general secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan also expressed their deep shock at the death of Shib Narayan Das.
Jatiya Party chairman and leader of the opposition GM Quader, secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Mohammad Shah Alam, general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, and Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi also expressed deep shock at the death of Shib Narayan Das.
His body will be kept in Central Shaheed Minar for two hours to pay last respects to the former JSD leader from 10:00am to 12 noon.
Then the body will be taken to his village home in Cumilla and finally the body will be deposited to the anatomy department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in accordance with his last desire, a press release said.