Samsul Islam Haidar, a centenarian and veteran of Bangladesh’s 1952 Language Movement, passed away late Friday night while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. He was a resident of Saitkahan village in Chandipasha Union under Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj district. His funeral prayer was held on Saturday afternoon at Saitkahan Government Primary School field, followed by burial at his family graveyard.

Haidar was among the early activists who took part in the historic Language Movement that secured Bangla as a state language. He also served as the founding president of the Kaliyachapra Sugar Mill Workers’ Union in Pulerghat. Family members said he had been suffering from age-related complications for a long time and was first admitted to Kishoreganj’s Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College Hospital before being transferred to Dhaka.

His death has cast a shadow of mourning across the local community, with residents remembering him as a dedicated activist and respected elder who contributed to both the labor movement and the nation’s linguistic heritage.