Journo Zaglul laid to rest

Eminent journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury was laid to eternal rest at Azimpur Graveyard Monday afternoon following his last namaz-e-janaza after Asr prayers at the National Press Club in the capital.
Late Chowdhury (65), former managing director of the national news agency BSS (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha) and also an international affairs analyst, was buried at about 5:15pm.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at Banani Jame Mosque after Zohr prayer then the body was taken to the National Press Club premises for second janaza where people from all walks of life flocked to pay their last tribute to the veteran journalist.
Attending the janaza, academicians, businessmen, former bureaucrats, high commissioner, lawyers, senior government officials, politicians and journalists demanded immediate measures from the government to ensure public safety on road and bring discipline in the transport sector to prevent such tragedy.
While expressing his reaction to the death, former ambassador Muhammad Zamir said he was Bangladesh ambassador to seven countries and travelled nearly 62 countries in his long career.
"I never watched that people are forced to get down from the bus anywhere in the world. His unexpected death has created a vacuum in the field of journalism, which is an irreparable loss to the nation," he said.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) president Mujahidul Islam Selim said such death cannot be accepted at all.
He said anarchy grips transport and health sectors as most of the passenger-carrying transports that ply in the capital have no fitness and the drivers lack enough skill. At the same time, hundreds of clinics have been mushroomed without having minimum healthcare facilities.
"We need to come out of such anarchy as soon as possible before we lose someone," he said.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid after paying his tributes to the late journalist told the reporters that it is a matter of serious concern that the nation lost a great personality due to road accident.
"We cannot ensure public security on road. Strict application of the laws is needed in this regard," he said.
President of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul said the country lost an eminent journalist with the death of Mr. Chowdhury and journalists of the present generation had many more things to learn from him.
"There are ministers who speak in favour of drivers to protect them after accident. They never speak for the victims' families. This is very unfortunate," he said adding that they would announce their programmes after receiving findings of the 5-member probe committee.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in his reaction said the nation lost a person who had played a key role in achieving democratic rights through his writings and criticism.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Food Minister Qamrul Islam, Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali, Prime Minister's Information Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, BNP Vice Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, Indian deputy high commissioner Sanjib Chakrabarty, President of National Press Club Kamal Uddin Sabuj and president of a faction of BFUJ Shawkat Mahmud and Daily Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta were, among others, present at the janaza.
A doa mahfil for the eminent journalist will be held at Gulshan Azad Mosque on Friday next (December 5) after Asr prayer and all friends, relatives and well-wishers have been requested to attend and pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul.
Meanwhile, a human chain will be arranged by the journalists in front of the National Press Club in protest against the killing and to raise the issue of road safety.
Meanwhile, another report adds: The government closed down Monday all the activities of Mohona Hospital over their alleged negligence of providing treatment to late senior journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury.
The officials of the ministry of health and family planning and the department of health visited the hospital on the day and recommended to the government to suspend activities of the hospital.
A government team led by Joint Secretary of the health ministry Mosharraf Hossain and director of the department of health Dr A B M Abdul Hannan visited and found the hospital was running without proper approval. They only got approval for running a diagnostic centre.  
The team instantly ordered the closure of the hospital and its activities and instructed to shift patients to another hospital within the next 24 hours.
Eminent journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury died in a tragic road accident on November 29, 2014 at Kawran Bazar in the capital.
He had served as chief editor and managing director of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) He had been working as consulting editor of The Financial Express until his death.
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