Amir Hamza
Born(1931-05-03)3 May 1931
Barishaat, Sreepur, Magura, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died23 January 2019(2019-01-23) (aged 87)
OccupationPoet
LanguageBangla
NationalityBritish Indian (1931–1947)
Pakistani (1947–1971)
Bangladeshi (1971–2019)
Notable works
  • Bagher Thaba (2018)
  • Prithibir Manchitre Ekti Mujib Tumi (2021)
Notable awardsIndependence Award (revoked)[1]

Amir Hamza (3 May 1931 – 23 January 2019) was a Bangladeshi poet, [lower-alpha 1] freedom fighter,[2] and convicted murderer.[3][4] In recognition of his contribution to literature, he was posthumously awarded the highest civilian medal of Bangladesh, the Independence Award in 2022, which was later reverted on 18 March 2022.[5][6]

Early life

Amir Hamza was born in Barishaat village of Magura, Bengal Presidency, British India on 3 May 1931. He studied at Barishaat Kazipara Government Primary School and Maheshchandra Pilot High School till class 8.

Criticism

His receiving the award, however, drew widespread criticism. Receiving this highest civilian honor of the country gave rise to discussion and criticism about him in the literary circles. On the face of widespread criticism, the Bangladesh Government assured it will carry out investigations on the recipient.[7][8] During his lifetime, he only wrote a few poems, which were compiled and was published as a book in 2018, initiated by his son.[9][10] He is unknown by the mass and in the Bengali literary community.[2][4] Fiction writer Syed Manzoorul Islam said, “It is not right to comment on a dead person. Those who awarded him must have loved him. However, I have not read any of his books or heard his name."[9] Popular Fiction writer Selina Hossain commented, “Who is he? I don't know him."[9] Historian Muntassir Mamun expressed his frustration and said, “The bureaucrats and deputy secretaries of this country mainly select individuals for this award. This kind of thing happens here because the subject matter experts are not there as selectors.”[9] Hamza's son Asaduzzaman is a Bangladeshi top-bureaucrat[10][11] and is serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Khulna District Council.[7] His son asaduzzaman lobbying Hamza's name for the award and the then Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh proposed Hamza’s name for the award. For hide the murder conviction his son get punishment from the Government.[12]

Murder conviction

Amir Hamza
Criminal statusReleased
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment (served 9 years)
Details
VictimsShahadat Hossain Fakir
Date1978
WeaponsSpear

He was the key suspect of murdering Shahadat Hossain Fakir with a spear in 1978.[12] He was sentenced to life imprisonment but later acquitted on “political grounds” and got out of the jail in 1991 after serving 9 years in prison.[13][4]

Notes and references

Note

  1. ↑ In his only known and published book "পৃথিবীর মানচিত্রে একটি মুজিব তুমি" he claimed he played a glorious role in the liberation war of 1971 by joining Sreepur Bahini.

References

  1. ↑ "Amir Hamza dropped from Independence Award". New Age. 18 March 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Who is This Amir Hamza?". Jamuna Television. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Swadhinata Padak recipient Amir Hamza was a convicted felon". The Business Standard. 17 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 রহমান, আজিবর (2022-03-18). বর্শা দিয়ে শাহাদতের বুকে আঘাত করেন আমির হামজা: প্রত্যক্ষদর্শীর বয়ান [Amir Hamza hit Shahadat on the chest with a spear: eyewitness statement]. The Daily Star (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. ↑ "Amir Hamza dropped from Independence Award list". Daily Sun. 20 March 2022.
  6. ↑ আমির হামজাকে বাদ দিয়ে স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কারের নতুন তালিকা. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  7. 1 2 সাহিত্যে স্বাধীনতা পদক নিয়ে আপত্তির পর সরকার বলছে তদন্ত করবে. BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  8. ↑ আমির হামজার বিষয়ে খতিয়ে দেখছে সরকার. Jugantor (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  9. 1 2 3 4 শাহনেওয়াজ, পার্থ শঙ্কর সাহা,আলতাফ. সাহিত্যে স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার পাওয়া কে এই আমির হামজা?. Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2022-03-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 আমির হামজা: বাংলার বব ডিলান!. The Business Standard (in Bengali). 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  11. ↑ "Amir Hamza is Bangla's Bob Dylan? Really?". The Business Standard. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  12. 1 2 "Govt drops Amir Hamza from Independence Award list over controversy". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  13. ↑ "Amir Hamza's Independence Award revoked". Business Insider Bangladesh. 18 March 2022.
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