Syed Abul Mansur Habibullah

Formative years

Mansur Habibullah (as he was popularly known) was educated in Bardhaman Town School and the Scottish Church College in Kolkata. He did his post graduation in history from the University of Calcutta and also graduated in law. He participated in movements organised by the then banned Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1935, when he was only 18 years of age.

He was one of the founders of the Students Federation of India and the Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha. He was a councilor of Bardhaman municipality and was editor of Janajuddha. Mansur Habibullah was elected General Secretary of the Bengal Provincial Krishak Sabha in 1944.

Short stay in East Pakistan

On the instructions of the party he went over to erstwhile East Pakistan, when Pakistan was formed in 1947, and started working for the Communist Party there. He became a member of the provincial committee of the East Pakistan Communist Party. In 1949 he was arrested and sent to Rangpur jail. Subsequently, he was transferred to Rajshahi Jail where he was seriously injured in a police firing. In 1952, he was expelled from Pakistan and returned to India.

Return to India

Back in West Bengal, Mansur Habibullah taught in Suri Vidyasagar College, which was then affiliated with the University of Calcutta. When he lost his job because of political reasons he started practicing law in 1961. He won from Manteswar (Vidhan Sabha constituency) as a CPI(M) candidate. Subsequently, he won in the Nadanghat (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in 1969, 1971, 1977, 1982 and 1987.

He was speaker of the West Bengal assembly from 1977 to 1982 and was the Minister-in- charge of Law Department, West Bengal from 1982 to 1987.

He has written on the problems of peasants. Maksuda Khatun, a leader of Muslim women’s activities, was his wife. Mamtaz Sanghamita is his daughter.