DHAKA, April 1, 2022 (BSS) - Renowned recitation artiste and general secretary of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote Hasan Arif died at a city hospital today at the age of 57.

Arif, who had been on life support for the last few months, passed away at the city's Bangladesh Specialised Hospital around 2 pm, president of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote Golam Quddus said.

He said Arif had contracted COVID-19 in December last year and was later placed on life support as his condition deteriorated. "Finally he (Arif) passed away today," Quddus added.

Arif, also a former general secretary of Bangladesh Recitation Coordinating Council, had been actively engaged in democratic and cultural movements in Bangladesh, starting with the anti-authoritarian uprising in the 1990s.

Arif was born in Cumilla on December 8 in 1965.