Muzaffar Ahmad (known as Kakababu; 5 August 1889 – 18 December 1973) was an
Indian-
Bengali politician, journalist and a co-founder of the
Communist Party of India.
He participated in political meetings and demonstrations starting in 1916. In 1918, he was appointed assistant secretary of the literary society Bangio Musalman Sahitya Samiti and took responsibility for producing its monthly journal.[3] In 1920, along with
Kazi Nazrul Islam, he started a new magazine, Nabajug.[1] Later, when another magazine, Dhumketu was launched by Nazrul in 1922, he contributed to it using the pseudonym "Dwaipayana".[citation needed]
On 20 March 1929, the
British colonial government arrested 31 labour activists and sent them to
Meerut for trial. Ahmed was the chief accused, along with S.A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani,
P.C. Joshi and others, was convicted in this so-called
Meerut Conspiracy Case. He was released in 1936. He had served the longest term in jail as the chief accused in the Meerut Trial.
After the
partition of India in 1947, Ahmed moved to
Kolkata rather than staying in
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). On 25 March 1948, the Communist Party of India was banned by the
government of India and Ahmed was imprisoned. He was released from prison in 1951. He was again arrested and incarcerated for two years in 1962, and another time for two years in 1965. He was imprisoned several times in post-Independence India by the
Congress government.
Personal life
Ahmed had a daughter, Nargis.[8] She was married to the poet
Abdul Quadir.[8]
^Muzaffar Ahmad (in Bengali). Kolkata: National Book Agency. 1963. p. 2.
^
abSingh, Nagendra Kr., ed. (2001). "Ahmad, Muzaffar (1889–1973)". Encyclopaedia of Muslim Biography: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Vol. I. New Delhi: A. P. H. Publishing Corporation. pp. 281–283.
ISBN81-7648-231-5.