Language movement veteran, freedom fighter and prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Golam Arieff Tipoo passed away while undergoing treatment at a city hospital Friday morning.
He breathed his last at the age of 93 at Labaid Hospital in the capital at 8:20 am. He was suffering from various old age complexities for a long time.
After completing his namaj-e-janaza, he was buried at the Martyr Intellectual graveyard.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Law Minister Anisul Haque expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Gholam Arif Tipoo.
In separate condolence messages, they said Golam Arif Tipoos death is an irreparable loss to the countrys legal arena.
The nation will forever remember his contribution to the war crimes trial and the establishment of the rule of law here. They prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family.
He was serving as the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, formed to hold trial of the people who committed crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971, from 2010.
Golam Arieff Tipoo was born in Kamalakantapur village in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj on 28 August in 1931. He was the second of the nine children of his parents. His father Aftab Uddin Ahmad was a district registrar.
He obtained his MA degree from Dhaka University.
Golam Arieff Tipoo got involved with left-leaning politics when he was a student. He served as general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Union from 1954 to 1956. He took part in the language movement as well. He led the Rashtra-Bhasha (state language) movement in Rajshahi in 1952 and in setting up of the first Shaheed Minar at Rajshahi College.
He was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2019 for his contributions in the language movement.
Golam Arieff Tipoo started his career as a lawyer in 1958. He came to limelight while working as a defence lawyer in the much talked about Nihar Banu murder case.
He was elected the president of Lawyers Association of Rajshahi several times, as a senate and syndicate member of Rajshahi University and a member of Bangladesh Bar Council.
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