Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)

This article is about the politician and activist. For the economist, see Muzaffar Ahmed (economist).

Muzaffar Ahmed (Bengali: মুজাফ্‌ফর আহমেদ) (August 5, 1889 – December 18, 1973) was a noted Bengali politician, journalist and communist activist, popularly known as "Kakababu".

Background

He was born at Musapur village in Sandip Island in Noakhali District of Bengal Province in British India (in the present day Bangladesh). His father's name was Mansur Ali and Mother's name was Chuna Bibi.In 1918 he was selected joint secretary of "Bangio musalman sahitya Samiti".In 1920, along with Kazi Nazrul Islam he started a new magazine, Navayug. Later, when another magazine, Dhumketu was launched by Nazrul in 1922, he started contributing to it various articles under the pseudonym "Dvaipayana".

Kakababu and the communist movement

He was one of the pioneers to spread the communist movement in the Indian subcontinent. In 1922, the Bharat Samyatantra Samiti was formed in Calcutta with Kakababu as its secretary. In 1924, he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case along with S.A. Dange, Nalini Gupta and Shaukat Usmani^[1]. He was released from the prison because of his sickness in 1925. In November, 1925 he along with Qazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar and others organized Labour Swaraj Party in Bengal^[2].

On March 20, 1929 British colonial government arrested 31 labour activists and sent them to Meerut for trial. Kakababu, along with S.A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani, P.C. Joshi and others was convicted in this Meerut Conspiracy Case. he was imprisoned till 1933. He is considered by some as the founder of the Communist movement in Bengal.

On March 25, 1948, the Communist Party of India was banned by the Government of India and Kakababu was imprisoned. He was released from the prison in 1951. He was again arrested and imprisoned for two years in 1962.

Death

He died in Calcutta in 1973, aged 84.

Tribute

The headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal, on Alimuddin Street, Kolkata-16, is named after him as "Muzaffar Ahmad Bhawan". Also , Ripon Street, a thoroughfare in Kolkata near Alimuddin Street connecting AJC Bose Road to Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, has been renamed as "Muzaffar Ahmad Street" though the former name is more commonly used.

Major works

• Qazi Nazrul Islam: Smritikatha (in Bengali)
• Amar Jiban O Bharater Communist Party (in Bengali)

References

1. ^ Chandra, Bipan (1989). India's Struggle for Independence, New Delhi: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-010781-9, p.302
2. ^ Chandra, Bipan (1989). India's Struggle for Independence, New Delhi: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-010781-9, p. 301

Persondata
Name	Ahmed, Muzaffar
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 5, 1889
Place of birth
Date of death	December 18, 1973
Place of death