Full Name: Noor Hossain
Birth Date:1961
Birth Place: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Died: November 10, 1987
Death Place: Zero Point, Dhaka
Education: Grade Eight
Occupation: Driver
Spouse (s): N/A
Religion: Islam
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Noor Hossain was a non-popular face before died on November 10, 1987, demanding democracy. He was an activist who was killed by the police during the mass movement at zero points on November 10, 1987, against president Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Later Zero Point renamed Noor Hossain Square after his name. His death anniversary is commemorated each year as Shahid Noor Hossain Day and Noor is highly acclaimed by the Bangladeshi people.
Noor Hossain Early Life:
Noor Hossain was born in 1961, in Dhaka, Bangladesh to Mujibor Rahman and Moriyam Bibi. He originated from Pirojpur, Barisal and his family moved to Dhaka following the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Noor’s father Mujibor Rahman was an auto-rickshaw driver and his mother was a housewife. He had two brothers named Ali Hossain and Delwar Hossain.
He quit education in the 8th grade due to financial constraints and started receiving training in driving like his father. Noor was so much passionate about politics from early life and eventually became the publicity secretary of the Banagram unit committee of Dhaka City Joubo League.
Anti-Autocracy Movement:
Bangladesh Awami League and Bangladesh National Party jointly under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia respectively called a mass movement demanding an end to the reign of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Although he was in power since 1982 through the military coup.
Ershad won the election in 1987 but major opponents marked it as a fraud. The Awami League demanded a non-partisan caretaker government to run an election for National Assembly launching a rally in Dhaka.
But the peaceful rally turned into a violent and several protesters were injured under riot conditions. Noor Hossain was killed alongside other two Joubo League leaders such as Nurul Huda Babul and Aminul Huda Tito. He carried two slogans on his body in white paint during the movement such as ‘Down with autocracy’ (in Bengali ‘Sairachar Nipat Jak’) on the chest and ‘Let Democracy Be Free’ (in Bengali Ganatantra Mukti Pak) on the back side of his body.
Later Hussain Muhammad Ershad was forced to give an election under a non-partisan caretaker government and Khaleda Zia became the first female Prime Minister of the country in this election. In 1996, Hussain Muhammad Ershad apologized before parliament for Noor’s death.
Legacy:
Each year November 10 is commemorated as Shahid Noor Hossain Day in the country. A postage stamp was issued in honor of his martyrdom by the Bangladesh government.