Nurul Islam Manzur

Memorial Biography of Nurul Islam Manzur

Nurul Islam Manzur (born circa 26 May 1936, Barisal, Bengal Presidency – died 26 May 2020, Dhaka, Bangladesh) was a prominent Bangladeshi politician who played significant roles in the early years of the nation’s parliamentary and ministerial leadership. During the first national parliament elections in 1973, he was elected as a member of parliament representing Bakerganj‑8 under the banner of the Bangladesh Awami League.

Manzur was appointed State Minister of Communication under the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His tenure in the fourth Mujib cabinet was cut short when he was dismissed from the post on 21 July 1975. Reports suggest that his removal was the result of political rivalries, particularly with Abdur Rab Serniabat, the Minister of Flood Control and Water Development and President Mujib’s brother‑in‑law.

Following the tragic assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975, Nurul Islam Manzur accepted a position in the subsequent government of Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, serving as State Minister for Railways and Communication. In more recent years, he faced legal challenges: in 1999, he was arrested in connection with the jail killings of national leaders, a controversial case tied to the events of the 1975 coup d’état. Along with KM Obaidur Rahman and Shah Moazzem Hossain, he was ultimately cleared of all charges in 2004 while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was in power.

Nurul Islam Manzur passed away on 26 May 2020 in Dhaka. He remains remembered as a figure who was deeply involved in the nation‑building politics of early independent Bangladesh, serving in ministerial capacities and navigating the turbulent shifts in the country’s political landscape.

Sources

• Nurul Islam Manzur