Veteran leftist leader Haider Akbar Khan Rano was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard next to his parents at 3:00pm in a peaceful burial ceremony.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Dhaka University Central Mosque after Zohr prayers at around 1:30pm.


Earlier, he was given a guard of honour at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka this morning.

People from all walks of life paid homage to Rano when his body was taken to Shaheed Minar around 11:15am.

Before that, his body was taken to the Communist Party of Bangladesh office where party leaders and workers paid tributes to him.

Rano, 81, an adviser to the CPB, had been suffering from chronic lung disease for several years. He was admitted to Health and Hope Hospital in the capital on May 6. He breathed his last at the hospital early Friday.

The body was kept at the mortuary of Samarita Hospital as his grandchildren were abroad.

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

He left the Workers Party of Bangladesh in 2010 and joined the CPB due to differences of opinion with party leaders. He was given the responsibility of a presidium member of CPB in 2012. He held that position until 2022 when he became an adviser to the CPB Central Committee.

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.

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

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 him the award of "Prothom Alo Book of the Year" in 2005.

Rano has left behind a daughter and two grandchildren.