Oli Ahad
Oli Ahad was a Bangladeshi politician and language activist of the Language Movement. He was awarded the Independence Day Award in 2004 by the government of Bangladesh.
Early life
Ahad was born in to a Bengali family in the village of Islampur in Bijoynagar, Brahmanbaria District. His father, Abdul Wahab, was a district magistrate. In 1944, he passed matriculation from Daudkandi Government Aided High School. During the election for the referendum of Pakistan, he became involved in politics and campaigned in places like Tipperah and Bogra, and was arrested a number of times.Career
Ahad was one of the founders of the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League, formed on 4 January 1948. He was the founding general secretary of the Ganatantrik Juba League. He joined the National Awami Party through the Kagmari Convention in 1957.Involvement in language movement
Ahad first met with Khawaja Nazimuddin to discuss his language proposal on 8 January 1948. Later that year, he became a member of the committee that organised a hartal on 12 March, demanding Bangla be made the official state language. Prior to that, he was also nominated as a member of the Muslim Chhatra League. While picketing in front of the Secretariat, he was attacked and arrested along with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Khaleque Nawaz Khan, and Shamsul Haque.In 1949, Ahad and three other students were expelled from the university. Ahad was present at the historical meeting that took place at the Amtala of Dhaka University on 21 February 1952. Later that day, he organized the agitated students. The next day, he led a rally and called for a nationwide Hartal.