Eminent intellectual and former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University, Professor Dr. A A M S Arefin Siddique has passed away. He was declared dead at 10:45:m on Thursday (March 13) while undergoing treatment at BIRDEM Hospital in the capital. Siddique had been on life support there since March 6.
Saifullah Siddique, brother of Professor Arefin confirmed the news of the death. He was 71 years old. His full name was Abu Ahsan Mohammad Shamsul Arefin Siddique.
On March 6, while speaking at Dhaka Club (Ramna), he suddenly fell down. He sustained a head injury after falling on the floor. He was then taken to Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital, where he was initially treated before being transferred to the Neuro ICU.
According to family sources, Professor Arefin Siddique was under the care of neurosurgeon Professor Nazrul Islam at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital. A medical team was formed for his treatment. However, his condition continued to deteriorate, and eventually, he was placed on ventilation.
Born on October 23, 1953, in Dhaka, Arefin Siddique completed his SSC in 1969 and HSC from Dhaka College in 1971. He earned his BA in 1973 and an MA in Mass Communication and Journalism from Dhaka University in 1975. Before joining Dhaka University as a lecturer in 1980, he worked as a Public Relations Officer at BUET.
A former professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Arefin Siddique became the 27th Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University on January 15, 2009. After serving for nearly four and a half years, the university’s senate initiated the selection of a new Vice-Chancellor. Following the election, the government appointed Arefin Siddique for a second term. Before becoming Vice-Chancellor, he had also served as the Head of the Mass Communication and Journalism Department and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
After completing his tenure as Vice-Chancellor in 2017, he returned as a professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism. He retired from teaching at the university in June 2020.
A prominent leader of the pro-Awami League Blue Panel of Dhaka University teachers, Arefin Siddique served two terms as the General Secretary and President of the Teachers’ Association.
On July 15, 2020, he was appointed Chairman at the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh News Agency (BSS). He was also the Chairman of the Trustee Board of the Bangladesh National Museum and a member of the Press Institute. In whole life and works, he contributed to various national committees related to education, culture, and broadcasting. Currently, he was also president of Bangbandhu Parishad central committee.
Arefin Siddique is survived by his wife and one daughter. His daughter is studying at Johns Hopkins University in the United States and returned home last Sunday upon hearing about her father’s illness.
After the news of Professor Siddique’s passing spread, his former and current students, along with journalists, gathered at the hospital. Many individuals across the country associated with the media were directly mentored by him.