JSD Honours Syed Jafar Sazzad Khichchu’s Legacy

A memorial meeting was held to commemorate the 16th death anniversary of freedom fighter, veteran political leader and former General Secretary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Syed Jafar Sazzad Khichchu. The programme, organised by the JSD Central Committee, took place at 5:00 pm on Thursday, 16 July, at the Shaheed Colonel Taher Auditorium.

Khichchu was remembered as a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s student, labour and left-wing political movements. During the 1960s, he emerged as a leader of the then Student League and, in 1969, served as Vice-President of the Ishwardi Government College Students’ Union. He later took part in Bangladesh’s Liberation War as a freedom fighter and subsequently became associated with the Bangladesh Railway Workers’ Alliance, the National Workers’ Alliance and the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, where he played a key organisational role as one of its founding leaders and served two terms as the party’s General Secretary.

The memorial meeting was chaired by JSD Central Committee Vice-President and freedom fighter Shafi Uddin Molla, while Public Relations Secretary Shariful Kabir Swapan conducted the proceedings.

Among those who addressed the gathering were JSD Joint General Secretary and freedom fighter Afzal Hossain Khan Jaki; National Workers’ Alliance President and freedom fighter Saifuzzaman Badsha; Joint General Secretaries Noimul Ahsan Jewel, Obaidur Rahman Chunnu and Mirza Md Anwarul Haque; Treasurer Md Monir Hossain; Legal Affairs Secretary Advocate Md Selim; JSD Dhaka South President Haji Idris Bepari; JSD Dhaka East Vice-President Mahbubur Rahman; JSD Dhaka West Vice-President Advocate Abu Hanif; National Youth Alliance Vice-President Shubhankar Dey Bappa; and Rashidul Haque Nani, President of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (Scientific Socialism), along with other party leaders and activists.

Speakers paid tribute to Khichchu’s contributions to the country’s independence struggle and his long political career, describing him as a principled organiser who remained committed to the ideals of equality and socialism throughout his life. They said he reflected those ideals not only in his political activities but also in his personal conduct, choosing a modest lifestyle free from the pursuit of personal wealth or privilege.

According to the speakers, Khichchu consistently defended the principles of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and remained vocal against what they described as communal and fascist political forces until his final days. They said his political life was defined by organisational discipline, ideological commitment and dedication to public causes, qualities they urged younger generations of political activists to emulate.

During the discussion, several speakers also commented on Bangladesh’s contemporary political situation. They alleged that the political developments surrounding the July-August 2024 quota movement were influenced by external forces and described subsequent events as a coordinated effort to alter the country’s political order. These remarks reflected the views expressed by the speakers at the meeting.

The speakers also criticised the legal proceedings involving JSD President Hasanul Haq Inu. They claimed that the 10-year prison sentence imposed on him resulted from politically motivated and fabricated cases, and further alleged that his inclusion in the Shapla Chattar case formed part of a continuing campaign against him. These assertions were presented as the position of the party leaders attending the memorial event.

Concluding the programme, participants reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing what they described as a national struggle against imperialism and religious extremism. They also expressed their determination to continue campaigning for the release of Hasanul Haq Inu while preserving the political ideals and organisational legacy of the late Syed Jafar Sazzad Khichchu.