Doctors pronounced him dead on Thursday night (March 13), a week after he was put on life support.
Arefin went to withdraw money from a bank booth on March 6 and later visited the Dhaka Club, where he suddenly collapsed and suffered a head injury, his younger brother Shakrin Siddique had told the media.
Initially, he was admitted to the ICU. Later, when his condition worsened, he was placed on a ventilator (life support).
Arefin served as the 27th vice-chancellor of Dhaka University from 2009 to 2017.
On July 15, 2020, he was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the state news agency of the country.
He was also president of the board of trustees of Bangladesh National Museum.
