Ahsanullah Master (9 November 1950 – 7 May 2004) was a

Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

politician and a

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

member from the

Gazipur-2 Gazipur-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2004 by Zahid Ahsan Russell of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Gazipur City Corporation wards 19 through 38 and 4 ...

constituency. He was a notable trade union leader who was assassinated in May 2004. He was awarded

Independence Award The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...

in 2021 posthumously.

Early life and career

Master completed his bachelor's from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

and started his career in teaching profession. During 1983–1988, he led the Pubail Union Parishad in the

Gazipur District Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a district in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. It has an area of 1741.53 km2. It is the home district of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and has been a prominent c ...

. He later served as the chairman of Gazipur Upazila Council. Master was a member of

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

and fought in the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

. He was elected to parliament form

constituency in 1996 and 2001.

Death

Master was shot dead in a conference along with Omar Faruq Ratan in

Tongi Tongi ( bn, টঙ্গী) is a major township in Gazipur District, Gazipur, Bangladesh, with a population of 350,000. It hosts the Biswa Ijtema and features a Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation, BSCIC industrial area, which prod ...

Gazipur Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur. Demogra ...

on 7 May 2004. In April 2005, Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 convicted Nurul Islam Sarkar, a leader of pro-BNP Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, and 27 others for the killing, quoting "the lawmaker was killed out of political vindictiveness and for establishing supremacy in the locality". Among the 28 convicted, the court sentenced 22 to death and 6 to life term imprisonment. In June 2016, the High Court, on appeals, confirmed the death penalty of 6, commuted 7 others to life imprisonment, upheld life term sentence of 2 and acquitted 11 of the charges against them. The other 2 had died during the trial.

Personal life

Master's son

Zahid Ahsan Russell Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel (born 1 January 1978) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Gazipur-2 constituency. He is also the incumbent State Minister for Youth and Sports. His father, Ahsa ...

is the incumbent

member from the same

constituency since Master's death.

References

1950 births 2004 deaths People from Gazipur District University of Dhaka alumni Awami League politicians 7th Jatiya Sangsad members 8th Jatiya Sangsad members Assassinated Bangladeshi politicians People murdered in Bangladesh Place of birth missing Deaths by firearm in Bangladesh Recipients of the Independence Day Award 2004 murders in Bangladesh {{AwamiLeague-politician-stub