Veteran Footballer and Sports Organiser Ranjit Das Passes Away

Veteran footballer and sports organiser Ranjit Das passed away on Monday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Sylhet. He was 93.

Ranjit Das breathed his last at 6:55 am at Parkview Hospital in the city’s Taltala area, his daughter, noted playwright Reema Das, confirmed.

Family members said he had been suffering from various age-related health complications for a long time. He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after developing cold-related respiratory problems. His last rites will be held this evening at the Chalibandar crematorium in Sylhet.

He is survived by his wife, four daughters and one son.

Born on October 29, 1932, in the Kuritula area of Jindabazar in Sylhet city, Ranjit Das was a widely respected figure in the subcontinent’s sporting arena. Though professionally a bank official, he earned enduring recognition for his contribution to sports.

As a footballer, he was best known as a goalkeeper of the East Pakistan football team, representing the side in the Pakistan National Football Championship from 1955 to 1964. During this period, he captained the team twice. He also played in the Dhaka First Division Football League and other major tournaments. In 1957, he represented the historic Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata.

Ranjit Das also enjoyed a distinguished career in hockey. He represented the East Pakistan national hockey team in the National Hockey Championship from 1965 to 1969, and played for the National Bank of Pakistan hockey team as well as in the First Division Hockey League.

Beyond his playing career, he made significant contributions as a sports organiser. He served as a founding joint secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation (Dhaka), an executive committee member of the East Pakistan Sports Federation (Dhaka), football secretary and coach of Azad Sporting Club, and coach of the East Pakistan youth football team.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to sports, the government awarded him the National Sports Award in 2007. His memoir, “Kriranganer Fele Asha Dingulo” (Days Left Behind in the Sports Arena), was published in 2025.

His death has cast a pall of gloom over the country’s sporting community.