Exiled poet Daud Haider dies in Germany

Poet and columnist Daud Haider, who lived in exile, has passed away in Germany. He died on Saturday night (April 26) at an old-age home in Berlin. He was 73 years old.

His brother, poet Zahid Haider, confirmed the news of his death to Jago News, stating that he passed away at 1:30 am Bangladesh time.

Daud Haider was born on February 21, 1952, in the Pabna district. In the early 1970s, he served as the literary editor of the daily newspaper Sangbad.

On February 24, 1974, his poem “Kaloo Surjer Kaloo Jyotsnaye Kaloo Bonyaye” was published in Sangbad, leading to allegations of offending religious sentiments. Following protests against him, he was arrested on March 11. On May 20, he was released from jail and immediately put on a special flight to Kolkata, where there were no other passengers aboard. Later, the Indian government also expelled him. In 1987, through the efforts of Nobel laureate and German writer Günter Grass, Daud Haider sought refuge in Germany.

The lifelong bachelor had been suffering from various health complications. In December of the previous year, he fell on the stairs of his Berlin residence and sustained a head injury, requiring hospitalization and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).