Suranjit Sengupta
{{Short description|Bangladeshi politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Suranjit Sengupta
| native_name = সুরঞ্জিৎ সেনগুপ্ত
| native_name_lang = bn
| office = Minister of Railways
| primeminister = Sheikh Hasina
| term_start = 6 December 2011
| term_end = 18 April 2012
| predecessor = Position Established
| successor = Mujibul Haque Mujib
| office1 = Member of Parliament
| term_start1 = 1 October 2001
| term_end1 = 5 February 2017
| constituency1 = Sunamganj-2
| predecessor1 = Nasir Uddin Chowdhury
| successor1 = Joya Sengupta
| term_start2 = 1 October 1997
| term_end2 = 1 October 2001
| constituency2 = Habiganj-2
| predecessor2 = Sharif Uddin Ahmed
| successor2 = Najmul Hasan Zahed
| term_start3 = 27 February 1991
| term_end3 = 15 February 1996
| constituency3 = Sunamganj-2
| predecessor3 = Golam Jilani Chowdhury
| successor3 = Mifta Uddin Chowdhury
| term_start4 = 7 May 1986
| term_end4 = 3 March 1988
| constituency4 = Sunamganj-2
| predecessor4 = Constituency Created
| successor4 = Golam Jilani Chowdhury
| term_start5 = 18 February 1979
| term_end5 = 12 February 1982
| constituency5 = Sylhet-2
| predecessor5 =
| successor5 =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1945|07|07}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2017|2|5|1945|07|07}}
| death_place = Dhaka, Bangladesh
| occupation = politician, lawyer
| birth_place = Anwarpur, Sylhet District, Assam Province, British India{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/mps/members-of-parliament/current-mp-s/list-of-9th-parliament-members-english?id=879 |title=Constituency 225 |publisher=Bangladesh Parliament |date=21 January 2014}}
| nationality = Bangladeshi
| party = Bangladesh Awami League
| spouse = Joya Sengupta
| children = Soumen Sengupta
| education = MA, LLB
| honorific_prefix = MP
| otherparty = Jatiya Ekata Party
}}
Suranjit Sengupta (5 May 1945 – 5 February 2017){{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/politics/suranjit-sengupta-glance-1356298|title=Suranjit Sengupta: At a glance|date=5 February 2017|accessdate=5 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star|author=Rashidul Hasan}} was a Bangladesh Awami League politician. He resigned in 2012 as the first Railway Minister of Bangladesh.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-230598|title=Suranjit is back|date=2012-04-18|website=The Daily Star|access-date=2019-01-09}}{{cite news |last=Majumder |first=Srabanti |date=13 April 2012 |title=Slap on the ugly face of corrupt Suranjit |url=http://www.weeklyblitz.net/2250/slap-on-the-ugly-face-of-corrupt-suranjit |newspaper=Weekly Blitz | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127052410/http://www.weeklyblitz.net/2250/slap-on-the-ugly-face-of-corrupt-suranjit |archive-date=27 January 2013 |accessdate=8 April 2013}} He was the member of parliament from Sunamganj-2 constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad and a member of the party's advisory council. He was the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.
Early life and education
Sengupta was born to a Bengali Hindu family in Derai Upazila, Sunamganj District, to Devendra Nath Sengupta and Sumati Bala Sengupta.{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/politics/suranjit-sengupta-glance-1356298|title=Suranjit Sengupta: At a glance|date=5 February 2017|accessdate=10 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star|author=Rashidul Hasan}} Among four brothers and a sister, he was the youngest.{{cite news|url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/05/suranjit-senguptas-death-marks-end-of-an-era|title=Suranjit Sengupta's death marks 'end of an era'|date=5 February 2017|accessdate=6 February 2017|newspaper=bdnews24.com|author=Sajidul Haque}} He completed his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Dhaka. He earned his LLB at the Central Law College and practised law for a while.{{cite news|url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/05/veteran-awami-league-politician-parliamentarian-suranjit-sengupta-dies|title=Veteran Awami League politician, parliamentarian Suranjit Sengupta dies|date=5 February 2017|accessdate=6 February 2017|newspaper=bdnews24.com}}
Career
Sengupta started his career as a lawyer. He became a member of Supreme Court Bar Council. He started his political career with leftist parties. In 1970's National Election of Pakistan, he was elected from the Sylhet District as a candidate of the National Awami Party in the Provincial Assembly. He participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 as a sub-commander of the Sector-5. In the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, he was a vocal member of the opposition bench. In the 1973 Bangladeshi general election he stood as a nominee of the National Awami Party faction led by Muzaffar Ahmed (NAP (M)).{{cite book |last=Chakravarty |first=S. R. |year=1988 |title=Bangladesh, the Nineteen Seventy-nine Elections |location=New Delhi |publisher=South Asian Publishers |page=124 |isbn=81-7003-088-9 |quote=Sree Suranjit Sen Gupta JEP Contested as NAP (M) candidate in 1970 and 1973 elections.}} In 1979, he represented the Ekota Party in the House and in 1991, the Ganatantri Party. He joined Bangladesh Awami League party in 1996, but lost the national election that year. But he made it to parliament through a by-election. He represented Sunamganj-2 constituency in the next three parliaments.
On 24 February 1996, prior to the controversial elections that month, police raided his house along with those of Amir Hossain Amu and Mohammad Abdur Razzaque under the Special Powers Act, but were unable to locate him.{{cite magazine |title=Bangladesh Political Violence On All Sides |magazine=Human Rights Watch |date=1 June 1996 |volume=8 |issue=6}}
In November 2011, Sengupta was made a cabinet member of the newly formed Railways Ministry. But after a bribery scandal became known, leaders from both the Bangladesh Workers Party and the Awami League called for him to resign. He served as a minister without a portfolio. He was not selected for a cabinet position after the 2014 election.
=Railway bribery scandal=
Sengupta took over as Railways Minister and resigned after 5 months on an allegation of bribery.{{cite news |title=Bangladesh rail minister resigns in corruption scandal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17731121 |date=16 April 2012 |work=BBC News|access-date=6 February 2017}} He was accused of direct involvement in corruption of 100 million Taka. On 9 April 2012 his assistant personal secretary, general manager of the eastern region, and commandant of security were driving to Sengupta's residence with 7.4 million Taka of bribe money, when the driver Azam Khan turned them in.{{cite news |title=Tk 74 lakh was going to house of Suranjit |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=252647 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=6 October 2012 |accessdate=8 April 2013}} On 17 April 2012, Sengupta was appointed minister without portfolio one day after submitting his resignation as Railways Minister and after being accused of bribery.{{cite news |title=Keeping Suranjit and Sohel at Cabinet: The Constitutional Debate |url=http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=fc5c2a607f27cfe17e9f699230418a2e&nttl=2012080842177 |url-status=dead |newspaper=Banglanews24.com |date=19 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222034733/http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=fc5c2a607f27cfe17e9f699230418a2e&nttl=2012080842177 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=8 April 2013}}{{cite news |title=Suranjit is back |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=230598 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=18 April 2012}}
=''Amar Desh'' allegations of corruption=
On 31 March 2013, the newspaper Amar Desh published a report stating that Sengupta demanded a thirty million taka bribe from an orphanage project, and cancelled the project's funding when his demand was refused. Sengupta commented on the report, saying, "The matter of asking for a three crore bribe is a complete lie. There are 36–37 education institutions in my area. But the huge funding of this project created a negative impression with the local institutions. So I suggested distributing the fund equally to the existing institutions in order to eliminate the negativity created."{{cite news |last=Chaudhuri |first=Kader Gani |date=31 March 2013 |script-title=bn:এতিম স্কুলের বরাদ্দ থেকে তিন কোটি টাকা ঘুষ দাবি সুরঞ্জিতের |trans-title=Sengupta's three crore bribe demand from orphanage's funding |url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2013/03/31/194523 |newspaper=Amar Desh | language=bn |accessdate=16 April 2013}}
In April 2013, Sengupta brought a defamation case against the Amar Desh staff, including Mahmudur Rahman and an NGO official for the publishing of this report.{{cite news |title=Amar Desh editor sued over report |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/amar-desh-editor-sued-over-report/ |newspaper=The Daily Star |location=Dhaka |date=4 April 2013 |accessdate=8 April 2013}}{{cite news |title=Amar Desh editor prosecuted |url=http://newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-04-04&nid=45075 |url-status=dead |newspaper=New Age |date=4 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222070404/http://newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-04-04&nid=45075#.UWJ7XaIyx8E |archive-date=22 February 2014 |access-date=8 April 2013}}
Personal life and death
Sengupta was married to Joya Sengupta. Together they had one son, Showmon Sengupta.
Sengupta died on 5 February 2017 at LabAid hospital in Dhaka.{{Cite news|url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/05/veteran-awami-league-politician-suranjit-sengupta-mp-passes-away|title=Veteran Awami League politician, parliamentarian Suranjit Sengupta dies|newspaper=bdnews24.com|access-date=5 February 2017|archive-date=5 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205024748/http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/05/veteran-awami-league-politician-suranjit-sengupta-mp-passes-away|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/country/al-leader-suranjit-sengupta-dies-1356295|title=AL leader Suranjit Sengupta dies|date=5 February 2017|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=5 February 2017}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311002714/http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2005-05/2005-05-30-voa7.cfm US is Concerned About Human Rights & Rise of Religious Extremism in Bangladesh: Suranjit] – Voice of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sengupta, Suranjit}}
Category:People from Derai Upazila
Category:Politicians from Sylhet Division
Category:University of Dhaka alumni
Category:Awami League politicians
Category:8th Jatiya Sangsad members
Category:Ministers of railways of Bangladesh
Category:Ministers without portfolio of Bangladesh
Category:2nd Jatiya Sangsad members