The honorary street designation 'Ziaur Rahman Way' in Baltimore, Maryland
Staff Reporter: Leaders and activists of the Maryland BNP say they want to work toward restoring the honorary street designation “Ziaur Rahman Way” in Baltimore, Maryland, which was removed in 2021 following objections and a city review.
On June 20, 2021, a sign bearing the name “Ziaur Rahman Way” was unveiled in Baltimore. Maryland BNP General Secretary Khaza Mohammad Kajol says he played a leading role in pursuing the designation.
About three months later, leaders of the U.S. Awami League and other organizations petitioned Baltimore authorities to remove the designation. Following a hearing in September 2021, the city removed Ziaur Rahman’s name from the street. Contemporary reports confirm that Awami League representatives had formally objected to the designation and participated in the hearing.
Maryland BNP leaders characterize the campaign against the designation as politically motivated and say they would seek to restore it if a new initiative is undertaken.
At the June 20, 2021 ceremony, several hundred Bangladeshi Americans attended the unveiling, according to organizers. Maryland State Delegate Robin T. Lewis unveiled the sign, while other elected officials, community representatives and political figures also participated.
Tarique Rahman, then the BNP’s acting chairman, joined the ceremony virtually from London as the chief guest, according to the organizers. He thanked Baltimore authorities and Maryland BNP leader Khaza Mohammad Kajol for the initiative.
Speakers at the ceremony praised Ziaur Rahman’s political legacy and described the honorary designation as recognition of his contributions to Bangladesh. Those remarks reflected the views of the speakers; Ziaur Rahman’s political record and legacy remain subjects of sharply differing interpretations in Bangladesh.
The event also included remarks from Maryland political and community figures. Maryland records confirm that Harry Bhandari has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since January 2019.
The honorary designation soon became the subject of a political dispute within the Bangladeshi-American community.
U.S. Awami League representatives argued to Baltimore officials that Ziaur Rahman should not be honored with a street designation, describing him as a military ruler whose rise to power conflicted with democratic principles. Following the September 2021 hearing, Baltimore removed the designation.
Maryland BNP representatives, however, dispute that characterization. They maintain that the campaign to remove the sign was politically driven and that local officials were presented with a one-sided account of Bangladesh’s political history.
The article supplied for translation names a number of former Bangladeshi government officials, political figures and U.S.-based Awami League activists and alleges that they participated in a coordinated effort to have the sign removed. Those specific allegations are claims made in the supplied account; I did not find independent documentation establishing that all of the named individuals personally directed or participated in such a coordinated effort. Contemporary reporting does establish that U.S. Awami League representatives petitioned Baltimore authorities and advocated for removal of the designation.
Maryland BNP General Secretary Khaza Mohammad Kajol said his organization would work to restore “Ziaur Rahman Way” in Baltimore if Bangladesh’s current leadership decides to pursue the matter.
Kajol maintains that circumstances have changed since 2021 and believes a renewed approach to Baltimore officials could result in restoration of the honorary designation.
Whether the designation can actually be restored would ultimately depend on Baltimore’s applicable procedures and the decisions of the relevant city authorities, rather than solely on an initiative by any Bangladeshi political party or government.
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