Professor Sakhawat Ali Khan, one of the pioneers of journalism education in Bangladesh, has passed away. 

He breathed his last at a hospital in the capital last night (8 March) at the age of 85, reports Prothom Alo.

According to family members, Sakhawat suffered a stroke a few days ago. After receiving treatment at a hospital for several days, he was taken home. He fell ill again last night and was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

His funeral prayer will be held today at 10am at the Dhaka University Central Mosque. 

His body will then be taken to Shibpur upazila in Narsingdi, where he will be buried in his ancestral village Dhanua.

Prof Sakhawat Ali Khan is survived by his wife, a daughter, a son, two grandchildren, and numerous admirers and former students. 

He retired from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka in 2008. He later served there for five years as a supernumerary professor and remained an honorary professor of the department until his death.

Sakhawat also served as a part-time adviser to the journalism department at Daffodil International University and as dean of the School of Social Science at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Born in 1941 in Shibpur to a respected family, he worked as a journalist at several national newspapers for nearly a decade before joining academia.

He presented keynote papers at seminars in 15 countries and worked as a visiting scholar at Southern Illinois University in the United States. More than 30 of his research articles were published in local and international journals. His main research interest was the interaction between journalism and politics.

He also served multiple terms as a member of the Bangladesh Press Council and as a member of the management board of the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB).