AKM Samsul Haque Khan was Bengali-Pakistani civil servant who was killed in the Bangladesh Liberation war and is considered a martyr in Bangladesh. He was awarded the Independence Day Award, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in 2010.

Early life

Khan was born in Tangail. He participated in the 1952 Bengali Language movement while studying at Dhaka College.

Career

Khan was the deputy election commissioner of the

1970 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 December 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly. They were the first general elections since the independence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held prior to the independence of Bang ...

in Chittagong. Khan became the Deputy Commissioner of Comilla District in March 1971. He ordered the stoppage of fuel and rations to the Comilla Cantonment in early March, before the start of Bangladesh Liberation war. He also ordered the Superintendent of Police in Comilla District,

Munshi Kabir Uddin Munsi Kabir Uddin Ahmed was the superintendent of police of Comilla District who was killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was killed for refusing to give the Pakistan Army based in Comilla Cantonment the police armory. He was posthumously aw ...

, to stop cooperating with the Pakistan Army. He also refused to discuss the issues with the martial law administration.

Death and legacy

On 24 March 1971, hours before the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March, he was detained along with Munshi Kabir Uddin. He was never seen again. He was detained by Major Agha. According to

Anthony Mascarenhas Neville Anthony Mascarenhas (10 July 1928 – 3 December 1986) was a Pakistani journalist and author. His works include exposés on the brutality of Pakistan's military during the 1971 independence movement of Bangladesh, ''The Rape of Bangla D ...

both of them were executed by Pakistan Army. Khan was awarded the Independence Day Award in 2010 for his contribution to the Bangladesh Liberation war posthumously. A road in Comilla has been named after Shaheed Samsul Haq Khan. Besides that the lecture hall of BIAM Auditorium has also been named after him. Shaheed Shamsul Haque Pilot Girls High School was named after him. After the

Independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

, President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman granted a residence to the family members of Khan in Bangshal, Dhaka. In September 2019, his brother was evicted from that house by two people, Miraj Mohammad Jakir Uddin and Sheikh Mohammad Jabed Uddin. On 22 December 2019,

Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission The Anti Corruption Commission ( bn, দুর্নীতি দমন কমিশন) ''often abbreviated:'' ACC ( bn, দুদক) is the principal government agency against corruption in Bangladesh. History The Anti Corruption Commissio ...

sued them. The main accused secured bail from court in January 2020. The Deputy Commissioner of Wari, Ibrahim Khan, was suspended by Dhaka Metropolitan Police for supporting the land grabbers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan 1971 deaths Recipients of the Independence Day Award Pakistani civil servants