Arafat Rahman Koko, a noted sports organiser and the younger brother of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, passed away on January 24, 2015, in Malaysia.
His body was later brought back to Bangladesh and buried at Banani Graveyard in the capital.
To mark the anniversary, BNP leaders and activists, along with family members, offered special prayers and paid tribute to Arafat Rahman Koko. Senior BNP leaders visited his grave at Banani, offered fateha and placed wreaths.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, accompanied by central and metropolitan leaders, paid homage at the grave. Dhaka North City unit BNP Convener Aminul Haque, as well as leaders and activists of the party’s associate bodies, was also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that Arafat Rahman Koko’s death was the result of physical and mental torture during the one-eleven period and under the subsequent Awami League government.
Various programmes, including Khatam-e-Quran, were organised from the morning at Banani Graveyard to observe the death anniversary. Milad and doa mahfils were also held at BNP’s central office in Naya Paltan, while another doa programme was scheduled for the afternoon at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan.
During the caretaker government period following one-eleven, Arafat Rahman Koko was arrested on September 3, 2007, along with his mother Begum Khaleda Zia, from their residence on Mainul Road inside Dhaka Cantonment. He was released on bail on July 17, 2008, and later travelled to Thailand for medical treatment before moving to Malaysia, where he remained until his death.
Born on August 12, 1969, Arafat Rahman Koko served as a member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board advisory council from 2003 to 2005 and was also chairman of the Old DOHS Club.
He died of cardiac arrest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on January 24, 2015, at the age of 45. His body was repatriated to Bangladesh two days later.
Following a massive namaz-e-janaza attended by a large number of mourners on January 27, he was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard. The janaza is regarded as one of the largest in the country’s history.
