Native name ফয়সল আরেফিন দীপন Occupation Publication Died 31 October 2015 Alma mater University of Dhaka | Nationality Bangladeshi Employer Jagriti Prokashony Parents Abul Qasem Fazlul Huq | |
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Born 12 July 1972 Dhaka, Bangladesh Cause of death Murdered by suspected religious extremists for publication of progressive and freethinking books Education BA (Hons) and MA in economics | ||
Faisal Arefin Dipan (Bengali: ফয়সল আরেফিন দীপন; 12 July 1972 – 31 October 2015) was a publisher of Bangladesh who had collaborated with many prominent writers of Bengali literature like Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Syed Shamsul Haque, Ahmed Sofa and Sufia Kamal, as well as eminent scholars and personalities, such as, Bodruddin Umar, Serajul Islam Choudhury, Syed Moqsud Ali, Muhammad Habibur Rahman and Ahmed Sharif, and most notably the secular science writer Avijit Roy.
Contents
- Early life and education
- Career
- Jagriti Prokashony
- Association with Avijit Roy
- Murder
- First death anniversary
- References
Dipan was brutally hacked to death inside his office at the hands of suspected religious extremists for his association with Avijit Roy and other freethinking, secular and atheist writers.
Early life and education
Dipan was born in an academic family. Both his father Abul Qasem Fazlul Huq, a scholar and a professor of Bengali literature, and mother Farida Pradhan, principal house tutor of Rokeya Hall, retired from Dhaka University.
Dipan passed his Secondary School Certificate (1989) and Higher Secondary Certificate (1991) examinations from Udayan Bidyalaya (inside Dhaka University campus area) and Dhaka College respectively. Dipan obtained his BA (Hons) and MA in economics from Dhaka University during mid-late 90s.
Career
Dipan grew up around authors and writers. His father Abul Qasem Fazlul Huq, a professor of Bengali and an author, was active in the scholarly circles. Dipan started his publishing house, Jagriti Prokashony (জাগৃতি প্রকাশনী), at a small scale during his undergraduate days in 1992.
As stated in a commemorative article in The Daily Star on November 22, 2015, "Growing up in a house full of books, Faisal Arefin Dipan had a lifelong fascination for books. He believed that books could rejuvenate a society, a state and a nation."
In the first year of its full commercial operations, Jagriti had managed to bring out twelve publications including Nilima Ibrahim's critically acclaimed work, Ami Birangona Bolchhi (আমি বীরাঙ্গনা বলছি) (As a War Heroine, I Speak in English) that tells the stories of Bengali women and girls who were raped and tortured by Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The book documents the horrific experience of survival of these women and girls in Pakistani military camps and takes a critical look at the social structure that they struggled to rejoin after the war was over.
In the twenty-three years of operation of Jagriti, Dipan had published around sixteen hundred books and collaborated with many famous and upcoming writers of Bangladesh like Sufia Kamal, Nirmalindu Goon, Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah, Badruddin Umar, Selina Hossain, Selim Al Deen and Muhammed Zafar Iqbal to name a few.
Jagriti Prokashony
Besides working with the prominent authorities and scholars of Bengali literature, Jagriti created a platform for many new and promising poets and writers. The genres of Jagriti publications cover a wide spectrum, such as, children’s books, humour, fantasy, biography, science, history, science fiction, novels, poetry and scholarly essays.
In one of his television interviews in 2012, Dipan had expressed his aim to stand apart from many others by supporting both "creative entertainment" and "enrichment of mind" streams of works. He felt that the latter category was becoming subdued in the recent days and more needed to be done to revive the intellectual stream in Bangladeshi publications.
Jagriti's most notable publications include:
Dipan was an active member in the publishers’ associations in Bangladesh and had held several positions in the executive committees. He was actively involved in the annual Ekushey Book Fair (একুশে বই মেলা) and other Bengali book fairs. Dipan had appeared in newspaper and television interviews, and talk shows to discuss publication industry in Bangladesh.
Despite the tragic death of Dipan, Jagriti Prokashony remains fully operational today under the management of DIpan's spouse Razia Rahman Jolly (a Senior Medical Officer at the Dhaka University Medical Centre).
Association with Avijit Roy
Avijit Roy, the slain Bangladeshi-American online activist, writer and blogger, was known to Dipan from his early childhood in the Dhaka University campus area where they lived in the same neighbourhood and attended Udayan Bidyalaya.
Avijit had two of his significant works, Philosophy of Disbelief (অবিশ্বাসের দর্শন) and Virus of Faith (বিশ্বাসের ভাইরাস: বিশ্বাসের বিবর্তনীয় বিশ্লেষণ), published from Jagriti Prokashony.
Dipan had received several death threats for his association with Avijit Roy since the rise of religious extremism in Bangladesh in recent years.
Murder
Dipan was brutally hacked to death by a group of suspected religious fundamentalists in the afternoon of 31 October 2015, while he was working alone inside his office at Aziz Supermarket in Dhaka. His body was found in a pool of blood by the local market authorities and his father, who had to break into Jagriti Prokashony office left locked from inside by the murders, and had several injury marks of sharp weapons like machetes. Dipan was pronounced dead as soon as his body was rushed to the nearby hospital.
Dipan's murder coincided with the attack on another publisher of Avijit Roy, Ahmedur Rashid Tutul (proprietor of Shuddhoswar Prokashony), who survived a similar brutal hacking inside his office in a different part of Dhaka in the same afternoon.
Some local sleeper cells of international terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State have claimed responsibilities of the attacks on secular writers, free thinkers and human rights activists in Bangladesh.
The law enforcement authorities of Bangladesh have been in active pursuit of the perpetrators with some success since their anti-terror drive has intensified following the Holy Artisan terror attacks in Gulshan.
Dipan's death was widely covered in global and local media, had sparked outrage among general public and received strong condemnation from many organisations including the UN and the US Embassy in Dhaka.
First death anniversary
Dipan Smriti Sangsad (Dipan Memorial Council) held a memorial event at the Teacher-Student Centre auditorium of Dhaka University on 31 October 2016 to mark the first anniversary of Dipan's death. Eminent academics, writers, publishers, journalists, cultural personalities and activists like Anisuzzaman, Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, Ajoy Roy, Abul Barkat, AAMS Arefin Siddique, Ashraf Uddin Chowdhury, Mamunur Rashid, Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, Imran H Sarker, Golam Mortaja and Khan Mahbub participated in the discussion. A book to commemorate Dipan's life and work was launched at the event.
The speakers, while addressing almost a five hundred strong audience from all walks of life, expressed deep concern and dissatisfaction at the slow progress of the murder investigation. They highlighted the prevalence of "a culture of impunity and lack of accountability" in Bangladesh that was leading to the recurrence of heinous crimes like the brutal hacking of Dipan and others.
The day was also marked by a large human chain of mourners and protesters, near Aziz Super Market in Dhaka, demanding immediate arrest and speedy trial of Dipan's killers.
All major TV channels in Bangladesh provided special coverage of the event in their national news segments.
A more private memorial event was organised at the Gulshan residence of late Syed Moqsud Ali (an eminent scholar and professor of Dhaka University who had his work published from Jagriti) where a large number of Dipan's oldest friends held discussion on Dipan and offered prayers for his departed soul.