Dr Harinath Dey was a gifted biochemist and reflective thinker who embodied a rare union of scientific rigour and philosophical inquiry. Born into an enlightened Hindu family, he pursued knowledge not as a discipline alone but as a moral calling. A former professor of Biochemistry at the University of Dhaka, he later served as Principal Scientific Officer at the Science Laboratories in Dhaka, where his research and leadership marked him as a rising scholar of exceptional promise.

A tape recorder used by Harinath Dey, preserved as a trace of a life dedicated to listening, reflection, and knowledge. Courtesy: Liberation War Museum

Beyond the laboratory, Dr Dey explored the intersections of religion, science, and human reason. He authored philosophical writings that sought harmony rather than division and edited the journal Ikkhon, contributing to a tradition of thoughtful, questioning intellectual engagement.

That life of inquiry was brutally cut short during the army crackdown of March 1971. On 27 March, following a brief relaxation of curfew, Pakistani soldiers raided Malakartola Lane in Old Dhaka, rounding up eleven Hindu residents, among them Dr Dey. They were taken to the Sutrapur Army Camp, forced to kneel for hours, and later marched to the Loharpool (Iron) Bridge over the Dholai canal. There, at around 10 p.m., they were lined up and shot. Dr Dey was killed instantly; only one detainee survived to bear witness to the atrocity.