Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton, a former central general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, has died in Kolkata, India, after battling lung cancer for more than two years. He passed away at around 7am on Saturday, 10 October, while receiving treatment at a hospital in the Indian city.
Mohammad Aminul Islam, the Awami League’s secretary for relief and social welfare, announced Roton’s death in a Facebook post on Saturday morning. He also expressed profound grief over the loss of his longtime political associate, recalling their shared experiences in student politics and political movements.
In his condolence message, Islam said he had first become acquainted with Roton through their involvement in Chhatra League. He recalled working alongside him during various movements and political struggles in Dhaka in 1996.
Islam also reflected on Roton’s political journey, saying he began his career as a supporter of the ideology of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman before rising through the ranks of the student organisation to become its central general secretary. He remembered Roton’s participation in various political movements throughout his career.
Islam prayed for the forgiveness of Roton’s soul and extended his condolences to the bereaved family.
Health deteriorated in the days before his death
Roton had been undergoing treatment in Kolkata for more than two years after being diagnosed with lung cancer. His physical condition deteriorated on 4 October, prompting his admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Apollo Hospital in Kolkata that night.
He remained under medical supervision until his death on Saturday morning. No further details about his final hours or the precise circumstances surrounding his death were immediately available.
Five years as Chhatra League’s central general secretary
Roton served as the central general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League from 2006 to 2011. Mahmud Hasan Ripon was the organisation’s central president during the same period.
Chhatra League is the student wing associated with the Awami League and has historically played a significant role in Bangladesh’s student and national politics. Roton established his political profile through the organisation before becoming involved in the Awami League’s broader political activities.
His political ambitions also extended to electoral politics. In the 2018 national parliamentary election, he collected nomination papers from the Awami League to contest the Chattogram-6 constituency, which covers Raozan, his home area in Chattogram district. Collecting nomination papers, however, does not necessarily mean that a candidate was ultimately selected by the party.
In 2021, Roton was appointed a member of the Awami League’s sub-committee on labour and manpower affairs, further extending his involvement in the party’s organisational structure.
His career reflected a path taken by several student leaders in Bangladesh, moving from leadership positions within student organisations to roles in mainstream party politics. Roton’s tenure as Chhatra League’s central general secretary was a defining period in his political life.
His death marks the end of a career that spanned student activism and party organisation. Family members, former colleagues and political associates are now left to mourn his passing, with tributes recalling his years of involvement in political movements and organisational work.
