By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
Imphal: Md. Alauddin Khan, a senior Muslim politician and former Cabinet Minister of Manipur passed away on October 15, 2012. He died at around 5 pm at Dharamshala Cancer Hospital in Delhi, where he was admitted for over a month for mouth cancer.
His body was brought to Imphal by air in the morning of 16 October. The janazah(funeral prayer) was performed at his birth place at Kiyamgei Muslim Awang Leikai in the evening. Chief Minister O. Ibobi, Ministers and MLAs attended the last rites.
Md. Alauddin Khan
53 year-old Alauddin Khan was elected to the 8th Manipur Legislative Assembly for the first time on Indian National Congress (INC) ticket from Keirao constituency, in 2002. He was inducted in the O. Ibobi ministry as a State Minister for Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) and Power. Later he was made Cabinet Minister for Minority and Other Backward Classes (MOBC), Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD &PR) and Veterinary and Animal Husbandry.
Khan was again re-elected from the same constituency to the 9th Manipur Legislative Assembly on INC ticket in 2007. He was again inducted in the O. Ibobi ministry as Cabinet Minister for RD & PR, MOBC and Science & Technology.
He lost the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly held early this year. However he was serving as Chairman of Manipur State Wakf Board till his death.
Khan was born on April 1, 1959 to Md. Nazir Ali at Kiyamgei Muslim Awang Leikai in Imphal East district. He completed his graduation in Science and joined as editor of a Manipuri daily, Fidam. He was also associated with some of the civil organizations of the state during his college days. He was Vice-President of AMSU and AMSCOC.
Chief Minister of Manipur O. Ibobi, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President and Home Minister Gaikhangam, Inner Manipur MP Dr. T Meinya, Chairperson of Manipur State Minorities Commission A. Halim Choudhury, IAS (Retd.), Chairperson of Manipur State Haj Committee and Parliamentary Secretary Md. Amin Shah, MLA Fajur Rahim were among those who expressed grief over his death.
Chief Minister O Ibobi, Congress MLAs and party members paid rich tributes to the body of the departed leader at the MPCC office at Imphal on 16 October.
In his message Chief Minister O. Ibobi said that Md. Alauddin Khan was one of the most promising leaders of the Muslim community of Manipur. He was a true leader of minority Muslim community with exceptional leadership quality. He did lot of memorable works for the people of Manipur. His demise is a great loss for Manipur and more particularly so for the Muslim community, he added.
Tributes paid to Md. Alauddin Khan at Congress Bhavan
MPCC President and Home Minister Gaikhangam stated that Md. Alauddin Khan took significant role and executed memorable works for the people of the State and particularly for welfare of the minority community. He was a man who had sacrificed for the Congress and worked devoid of discrimination on the ground of religion, caste and race. The vacuum created by his death can never be filled, he added.
The condolence message released by Manipur State Haj Committee stated that Md. Alauddin Khan was “a great leader of indomitable spirit with clear vision, dynamic outlook and a source of inspiration and strength to the Muslim community in Manipur. In his death, the Muslim community has lost a good friend and the State of Manipur a potential and outstanding leader of understanding and wisdom. It will be very difficult to fill the vacuum his death has created.”
Md. Alauddin Khan is survived by his wife, Sufura Begum, four sons and two daughters.