The 6th death anniversary of freedom fighter Shajahan Siraj, who read out the manifesto of Bangladesh’s independence at a historic rally in 1971, will be observed on Tuesday. 

Shajahan Siraj, a former minister and veteran politician, died in Dhaka on July 14, 2020 at the age of 77.

Various programmes have chalked out by the Shajahan Siraj Foundation, Kalihati Shajahan Siraj College and Shajahan Siraj Welfare Trust to mark the occasion.

The programmes include placing of wreaths at his grave at the Banani graveyard in Dhaka, recitation of the Holy Quran in Kalihati of Tangail and Dhaka, food distribution among needy children, and special prayers in mosques and temples of various unions in Kalihati.

Shajahan Siraj College will organise a special commemorating meeting and prayers at 10am on the college campus in Kalihati.

Shajahan Siraj played a very important role in the Six-Point Movement of 1966 and the Mass Uprising of 1969.

On March 3, 1971, he read the manifesto of the great independence at a rousing rally of students and the public at Paltan Maidan.

Shahjahan Siraj was one of the initiators of the formation of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) after independence and later joined the politics of BNP.

He was elected as MP five times from the Tangail-4 (Kalihati) constituency. In his colourful political life, he served as state minister for shipping, and forests and environment minister.