Rano, a doyen of Marxist politics, passes away

Prominent leftist leader and Marxist theorist Haider Akbar Khan Rano breathed his last early yesterday.

Rano, 81, was suffering from chronic lung disease for several years and was admitted to Health and Hope Hospital in the capital on May 6, his niece Ananya Laboni told The Daily Star.

He was known for his steadfast role in the Liberation struggle and in efforts to uphold the ideals of non-communalism, democracy and socialism in the country.

Under the banner of Co-ordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries of East Bengal, a pro-Chinese party, Rano was among those who played a leading role in organising thousands of local freedom fighters to keep Narsingdi's Shibpur and other areas as "free zones" during the Liberation War.

He also played important roles in the 1962 students' movement, the 1969 mass upsurge, 1980s' anti-autocrat movement, and the 1990 mass upsurge.

Born in Kolkata in 1942, Rano was one of the first student leaders to publicly speak against Pakistani autocrat Ayub Khan during the 1962 movement.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a statement yesterday expressed her shock and sorrow at the death of Haider Akbar Khan Rano.

The BNP also grieved the death of the communist leader in their separate statement.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh in a statement yesterday said Rano's body was kept at the Samorita Hospital morgue as his grandchildren were yet to fly in from abroad.

It added that the party flag will be hoisted at half-mast in all CPB offices across the country tomorrow to pay their respects.

Rano's body will be taken to the party office in Paltan at 10:00am and will be kept there for an hour.

Later, it will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar for all to pay homage.

His namaz-e-janaza will be held at the Dhaka University Mosque after Zohr prayers, after which he will be buried at the Banani graveyard beside his parents.

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader; the CPB; Workers Party; Socialist Party of Bangladesh; the Revolutionary Workers Party; left-leaning students and many cultural organisations expressed deep sorrow for Rano's death.

According to his last wish, his corneas were donated to Sandhani Eye Hospital.

Rano held different top positions at the pro-Chinese Workers Party of Bangladesh and the pro-Russian Communist Party of Bangladesh.

He held the general secretary post, among other top posts, at the Workers Party of Bangladesh from 1969 to 2008.

Later, he joined the CPB and was made its presidium member in 2010. He was elected an adviser to the party in 2022.

Rano was also the general secretary of East Pakistan Chhatra Union between 1963 and 1965, after which he joined the labour movement and even lived in the workers' slums in Tongi area.

In 1970, he was elected general secretary of the East Bengal Sramik Federation, the largest labour organisation of the then East Pakistan.

He was put behind bars on four occasions and had to go into hiding seven times due to arrest warrants.

In addition to his political activities, he wrote at least 25 books and numerous articles on Marxism, politics, history, philosophy, economics, literature and physics.

In 2022, he received the Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar. His autobiography "Shatabdi Periye", earned the award of 'Prothom Alo Book of the Year' in 2005.

Rano has left behind a daughter and two grandchildren.