Former President Zillur Rahman's 11th death anniversary today. Zillur Rahman died on this day in 2013 at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital while serving as the country's 19th president on Wednesday (March 20).
He was Bangabandhu's close companion, politician, language veteran, and organizer of the liberation war. He was sworn in as the President of the country on 12 February 2009.
On this occasion, various programs will be observed today by his family, Awami League and various parties and organizations.
These include paying respects at the grave of the deceased at the capital's Banani graveyard in the morning, reciting Fateha, Milad and Doa Mahfil, discussions etc.
Zillur Rahman was born on March 9, 1929 in Bhairabpur village of Bhairab upazila in Kishoreganj district. Zillur Rahman, a student of Dhaka University, played an outstanding role in every mass movement of the country, including the language movement of 1952, the anti-military movement of 1962, the six-point movement of ‘66, the mass uprising of ‘69, the liberation war of ‘71.
In 1972, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected President and Zillur Rahman General Secretary of the Awami League Committee. He was imprisoned for almost four years after the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975. Later, he was the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives in the Awami League government.
Zillur Rahman served as acting president when Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was arrested on January 11, 2007 amid the emergency law in the country. When the Awami League party government was formed in 1996, he served as the Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Deputy Leader of Parliament.
His wife Begum Ivy Rahman died on August 21, 2004, three days after being injured in a horrific grenade attack on an Awami League rally.