Poet Mohammad Rafiq passes away

Poet Mohammad Rafiq has passed away at the age of 80. He breathed his last at around 9:00pm on Sunday while taking from Barishal to Dhaka for better treatment.

Poet's cousin Md Shibli, who is the head of management department at Bagerhat Belayet Hossain Degree College, confirmed the news to Prothom Alo.

Earlier, the poet all of a sudden fell sick at his village home of Chitalmari in Bagerhat on Sunday Morning.

He was first taken to Bagerhat and later to Barishal. Physicians there suggested to shift him to Dhaka after some complications were detected following a medical check-up at a private clinic.

The poet's family left Barishal for Dhaka for better treatment on Sunday evening. He died on the way to Dhaka.

Md Shibli said his body is being taken to his village home in Bagerhat.

Mohammad Rafiq has been famous for writing poetry during the the ani-government movement in the eighties, the liberation war and the student movement in the sixties.

He was born at Chitali-Boitpur village of Bemrota union of Bagerhat on 23 October 1943. Poet, writer and teacher Mohammad Rafiq was the eldest of eight brothers and sisters. He left behind two sons and a host of relatives to mourn his death.

Mohammad Rafiq received various awards including Ekushey Padak.