Varendra ইতিহাসবিদ
Varendra ইতিহাসবিদ

@varendrapill

11 tweets 57 reads Mar 20, 2024
🌟 Celebrating the Genius of Kazi Azizul Haque 🌟 – Bengali Muslim Pioneer in Fingerprint Science
Haque collaborated with Edward Henry and Hem Chandra Bose to make the Henry Classification System of fingerprints. This system, still used globally today, revolutionized criminal identification. Haque’s mathematical prowess provided the foundation for this essential tool.
Born in 1872 in Paigram Kasba (Khulna, Bangladesh) to a modest Bengali Muslim family, Haque faced adversity early on. His parents’ tragic boat accident left the family in financial hardship. But his hunger for knowledge drove him to Kolkata, where he found a path to education.
Haque studied mathematics and science at Presidency College, Kolkata. In 1892, Edward Henry sought a strong statistics student for his fingerprint project. The college principal recommended Haque, leading to his pivotal role in fingerprinting history.
Dissatisfied with existing methods, Haque devised his own classification system. He mathematically sorted fingerprint patterns into 1024 pigeonholes, making it easier to identify and classify prints. His approach was more practical and less prone to error than previous systems.
By 1897, Haque had collected an impressive 7000 fingerprint sets in his cabinet. His dedication and ingenuity transformed the field of forensic science. These sets were invaluable as a basis for future research in the field.
The Henry Classification System has had immense impact on the world, and was the standard fingerprint classification used globally until at least the 1990s, and is still influential in the formation of newer systems. Henry speaks greatly of Haque's primary role in its creation.
Despite the system being immediately recognised for its efficiency, Haque and his fellow contributor Bose were left unacknowledged for over 20 years. Although they would receive some acknowledgement later, many would say this was too little too late.
And thus, both Haque and Bose have not received the attention they deserved as scientific pioneers. Scholars on the matter have recommended the System be renamed the Henry-Haque-Bose Classification system, to pay tribute to the two individuals responsible for it's invention.
Khan Bahadur Kazi Azizul Haque’s legacy extends beyond his lifetime, and is one of the many oft forgotten heroes of Bengali Muslim History whose legacy should be cherished and promoted.
Sources:
150th Birth Anniversary of Khan Bahadur Qazi Azizul Haque: Pioneer in Fingerprint Technology - Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay
The forgotten Indian pioneers of fingerprint science
G. S. Sodhi, Jasjeet Kaur
thedailystar.net

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