Renowned local government expert and former professor of Public Administration at the University of Chittagong, Tofayel Ahmed, has passed away (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un). He breathed his last at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday (October 8) at a hospital in Dhaka while undergoing treatment. He was 71 years old.
His son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel Sarwar Jahan, confirmed the news of his death. He said Professor Tofayel was admitted to United Hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack. Doctors later found three blockages in his heart and an infection in his lungs. On Wednesday afternoon, he was taken to the operation theater for a stent procedure, but his condition deteriorated during the surgery. He was placed on life support, and doctors declared him dead at around 9:30 p.m.
According to family sources, Professor Tofayel Ahmed will be laid to rest on Thursday at his family graveyard in Fatehpur village under Hathazari upazila of Chittagong.
Professor Tofayel Ahmed previously served as the head of the Local Government Reform Commission. He was widely respected for his contributions to decentralization, administrative reform, and good governance in Bangladesh’s local government system.
He is survived by his wife and one daughter. His death has cast a shadow of mourning over the academic and administrative communities.