Ivy Rahman Succumbs in Her Injuries!A pall of gloom descended over the political circles and people in general as Awami League leader Ivy Rahman died early today (03.00 Hrs. August 24, 2004), fighting a losing battle for three days since she was fatally wounded in Saturday's bombing of her party rally. It is reported that on afternoon of last Saturday, 21st August, 2004 when Ivy Rahman was stepping on the stairs to climb the truck--on which Sheikh Hasina was just finishing her speech--to escort Sheikh Hasina down from the truck and proceed towards the Jeep in which she would accompany Sheikh Hasina to lead the procession, just at the same time it was the first grenade out of those seven that hit her on the lower portion of her body. In fact that grenade was supposed to hit Sheikh Hasina. The grenade missed Sheikh Hasina by few feet and hit Ivy Rahman because wind changed the course of the projectile of the hurling grenade, the investigators speculate. The blast at AL's anti-terrorism rally, which targeted the AL President Sheikh Hasina, blew off her legs and doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where she was rushed, amputated those. She was shifted to the Combined Military Hospital on the same night. As her condition sharply deteriorated, she was kept on life support. Doctors at the CMH declared her dead at 3am today. With her painful demise the curtain dropped on her long, checkered political career. She was 60. Begum Ivy Rahman, wife of veteran Awami League leader Zillur Rahman, was severely wounded in the grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina's anti- terrorism rally at Bangabandhu Avenue. Jebun Nahar Ivy, daughter of eminent principal of Dhaka College late Jalaluddin Ahmed, was born in famous "Bara Bari" of Bhairab on July 7, 1944. She was widely known as Ivy Rahman since her marriage with the AL leader, Zillur Rahman, in 1958. In her student life she was an active worker of Chhatra League and took part in the political movements under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman against Pakistani military junta. She was a student of Bengali Department of Dhaka University. Ivy Rahman joined the Liberation War in 1971 and received arms training in India. She was made organizing secretary of Mohila Awami League established by Bangabandhu in 1969. After the assassination of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975, Ivy Rahman played a courageous role in all movements against military regimes for restoration of democracy. In 1978, she became the Women Affairs Secretary of Awami League central working committee. In 1980, she became President of Mohila Awami League. Since then, she had held the posts of women affairs secretary of Awami League central working committee and president of Mohila Awami League until 2002. From 1996 to 2001, Ivy Rahman had served as chairperson of Bangladesh Mohila Sangstha and Bangladesh Jatiya Mohila Samabaya Samity. Until her death she was the president of Mohila Samity and general secretary of Bangladesh Andhha Kalyan Samity. She left behind her husband, a son, two daughters, 95-year-old mother and a host of friends and relations and admirers to mourn her death. Afroza Begum
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