Suranjit Sengupta: Difference between revisions

{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}

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| birth_place  = Anwarpur, [[Sylhet District]], [[Assam Province]], [[British India]]<ref name=gov>{{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}}</ref>

'''Suranjit Sengupta''' (5 May 1945 – 5 February 2017)<ref>{{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}}</ref> was a [[Bangladesh Awami League]] politician. He resigned in 2012 as the first Railway Minister of Bangladesh.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=weeklyblitz>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=dies/>

Sengupta was born in [[Derai Upazila]], [[Sunamganj District]], to Devendra Nath Sengupta and Sumati Bala Sengupta.<ref name=glance>{{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}}</ref> Among four brothers and a sister, he was the youngest.<ref name=era>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=veteran>{{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}}</ref>

Sengupta took over as Railways Minister and resigned after 5 months on an allegation of bribery.<ref name=weeklyblitz /><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=weeklyblitz /><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=constitutional>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

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."<ref name=AD1>{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

Sengupta died on 5 February 2017 at LabAid hospital in [[Dhaka]].<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=dies>{{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}}</ref>