Former Rangpur city mayor Jhantu dies

Former Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) mayor and Awami League leader Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu has died at a hospital in Dhaka. He was 66. Jhantu breathed his last at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital around 3:30am on Sunday, reports UNB. He was shifted to Dhaka from Rangpur earlier this month after he suffered a stroke. Since then, he has been in the ICU. Jhantu, a former parliament member as well, was elected the first mayor of Rangpur city on December 20, 2012, beating Jatiya Party (JaPa) candidate Md Mustafizur Rahman Mostafa by 27,000 votes. Talking to BSS, Awami League Rangpur district unit General Secretary Rezaul Karim Raju said Jhantu’s first namaz-e-janaza will be held at the South Plaza of the parliament building at 10:30am Monday. "Later, his body will be flown by helicopter to Rangpur and another janaza will be held at Rangpur Police Lines School and College grounds and before his burial at Nurpur Graveyard in the city," Raju added. President Md Abdul Hamid in a condolence message mourned Jhantu’s death and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul. Hamid, who is now undergoing treatment in Singapore, also conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family members, the president’s Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin told UNB over phone from Singapore. In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of Jhantu, who was also an advisory council member of Awami League’s Rangpur district unit. Hasina recalled with profound respect his contribution to the development of Rangpur city, reports BSS. She also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and condoled Jhantu’s bereaved family. Jhantu had sought re-election in the second RpCC polls held in December last year. But JaPa leader Mostafa beat him this time in a landslide victory, bagging 160,489 votes at 193 polling centres across the city. Born on July 7, 1952 at Engineer Para of Rangpur city, Jhantu was a career politician and served for a long time as a public representative in different positions. He was elected a lawmaker from Rangpur in the 1996 parliamentary election with a JaPa ticket. Before that, he was elected the Rangpur Municipality chairman in 1992 and Sadar upazila chairman in 1987. In separate messages, Speaker of the parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Awami League General Secretary and Roads Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Deputy Speaker Md Fazle Rabbi Miah, Chief Whip ASM Firoze, State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mijibul Haque, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mashiur Rahman Ranga and many ruling party leaders also mourned Jhantu’s death.