Babunagari passes away

Hefajat-e Islam Amir Junayed Babunagari died on Thursday. He was 68. "Babunagari suffered a brain stroke at around 11:00am Tuesday at Hathazari Madrasa. He was being rushed to CSCR Hospital in Chattogram city. He died around 12:30pm," ANM Ahmedullah, former publicity secretary of Hefajat in Chattogram said.

Ahmedullah said, "Doctors said hujur died on the way to the hospital." Babunagari left behind his wife, a son and six daughters, and a host of relatives and followers to mourn his death.

He was buried at Babunagar Madrasa premises in Fatikchari at night, after namaz-e-janaza at Hathazari Madrasa at around 7:30pm, Ahmedullah said.

Babunagari was born in 1953 in Babunagar village of Fatikchhari upazila in Chattogram.

At the age of five, he was enrolled in Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar. He then spent 10 years at Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam.

At the age of 20, he enrolled in Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia of Pakistan. Babunagari studied there for four years.

At 24, he began teaching at Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar. Afterwards, he left Babunagar Madrasa and joined Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam.

When Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh was formed in 2010, he became its secretary general.

He served as a teacher of Hadith and assistant director of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam.

On November 15, 2020, he was elected the new Amir of Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh following the demise of Hefajat Amir Shah Ahmad Shafi in September, 2020.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in April submitted its probe report against 43 persons, including Babunagari, in connection with their involvement in "creating an atmosphere to accelerate" the death of Shah Ahmad Shafi.

Soon after the formation of the 249-member central committee, Hefajat hogged the headlines as it strongly opposed the construction of Bangabandhu's sculpture in the capital and gave anti-government statements.

Later, tension between the government and Hefajat over the issue eased following meetings between the two sides.

On December 7, two sedition cases were filed with the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court against Babunagari.

On April 26, Babunagari dissolved the central committee of the Qawmi madrasa-based Hefajat-e Islam, following Hefajat's violent activities in protest of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bangladesh visit in March.

A new committee of Hefajat was declared in June where Babunagari became the chief. But most of the Hefajat leaders involved in violent activities in March and those involved in different political parties were dropped from the new committee.