Remains of Ahmed Sofa relocated to Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard

Nearly 25 years after his passing, the remains of renowned writer, intellectual, and Ekushey Padak recipient Ahmed Sofa have been relocated to the state-honored section of the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard.

Goutam Kumar Biswas, Social Welfare Officer of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), confirmed that the relocation from the general section to the reserved section for martyred intellectuals and freedom fighters was completed under the management of the DNCC on Wednesday afternoon (July 22).

According to Goutam Kumar Biswas, the process of exhuming and transferring the remains began at around 11am on Wednesday. Despite minor delays caused by rain, the full reburial process was finalized between 12:30pm and 12:45pm.

DNCC sources revealed that on January 11 this year, Ahmed Sofa's nephew, Nurul Anwar, submitted an application on behalf of the family requesting the grave transfer. The petition highlighted that despite Ahmed Sofa's extraordinary contributions to Bangladesh's art, literature, politics, and social thought, he had not received the full state recognition he deserved, prompting the request to move his resting place from the general section to the dedicated intellectual grounds.

Following the family's application, the matter was presented during the 14th board meeting of the DNCC on April 13, where the proposal for the relocation was unanimously approved. Upon final decision, the Social Welfare Division of the DNCC completed the necessary administrative formalities to execute the transfer with full state honor on Wednesday.

Ahmed Sofa passed away on July 28, 2001. At the time, he was buried in the general section of the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard under grave number 1080.