Tales of Liberation War

The greatest chapter in our nation’s history is the Liberation War of 1971. The heroic people of Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, took up arms against the oppression and exploitation by the regime in West Pakistan and fought together to liberate our country and become a free nation. During the nine-month bloody war, many of our brave freedom fighters were wounded or maimed. According to Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust (Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust), the total number of war-wounded freedom fighters was 5,471, and 4,547 of them are still alive.

The state has honoured the war-wounded freedom fighters and adopted various measures for their welfare. At a programme in Mymensingh recently, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Muzammel Haque said the government has taken steps for disabled and impoverished freedom fighters to get free treatment at hospitals from next January. The government also plans to provide bonuses to freedom fighters for Victory Day on December 16 and Independence Day on March 26 every year, the minister added, according to BSS.

Ahead of our 47th Victory Day, The Weekend Independent talked to some war-wounded freedom fighters to hear their war stories and hopes for the country at a rehabilitation centre at Mirpur in the capital.

Serajul Islam, Age 64,

Sector 7, Sub-Sector 4

I was born at Palpur village under Dharampur in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district. I was a class-9 student in 1969. At the time, I took part in the 1969 uprising. I was arrested along with 1,400 students and sent to Rajshahi central jail. Even before that incident, I had started thinking that there was no way to stay with the then Pakistani rulers, as they weren’t looking after the interest of the people (in East Pakistan). They did not want us to speak in Bangla even.

On April 10, 1971, Pakistani Army attacked and killed many Bengali EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) and army soldiers and officers. After that news spread, a mass movement was started in Rajshahi against their brutality. The mobs freed us from jail. Later on, with Bengali policemen and EPR troops, we tried to protest against the Pakistani army at the western part of Rajshahi city. But we couldn't stay there for long. Then, I, along with my friends Mantu, Mahabub and others, crossed the Padma River and went to Murshidabad district of India to join a youth training camp.

On July 2, 1971, we went to Bihar Chakulia for further training.  After completing our training, we joined the war in Sector 7, under sub-sector commander Brigadier Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury. There, I took part in several guerilla battles. My first fighting experience was at Avaiya Bridge in Godagari. We killed 80 Pakistani soldiers in that battle.  We also fought at Shahidpur, Mulatoti, Baroghoria. Laxminarayanpur, Chaghati and Kumorpur, and took part in Raninagar Bridge operation.

On December 14, 1971, we carried out a face-to-face counterattack at Chapai Nawabganj under group leader Bir Protik Nur Hamid, with the Indian Army. Many Indian soldiers and our freedom fighters were killed. Bir Shrestha Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir also participated in that battle and lost his life around 9.30am. I took part in the last part of that fight in the afternoon. My friend Saidul and I did our best fighting in that counterattack. Around 4pm, a bullet hit me in the waist and seriously wounded me. I fell down on the ground. Some of my friends rescued me from there and took me to Baharampur Hospital in India. I was senseless for many days. On December 16, I regained consciousness. An Indian nurse informed me about the victory of Bangladesh. Later, I was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

We used children to inform us about the position of Pakistani soldiers and razakers (collaborators). One of our child informants was Mehedi, he is now working at Rajshahi court. He was nine years old then. He also helped by bring us parts of weapons. Once, he hid a bomb under the soil on a road and it blew up an army jeep.

Now, I want financial emancipation and prosperity for every citizen of the country.

Abul Basir Chowdhory, Age 66, Sectors 1 and 2

I was born at Sattaynagar in Chandgazi under Chhagalnaiya upazila of Feni district.

I was a class-10 student of Chandgazi High School, Feni, in 1971. After listening to the March 7 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the radio, I, along with 60 other youths, took part in a training programme at our village in April under Serajul Islam, a retired officer of Bengal Regiment. He taught us how to fight with bamboo sticks. After twenty days of training, we came to know about a training camp at a school in India. So, we went to Belonia in India to train under the Indian Army.

My biggest operation was at Chhagalnaya in the first half of June. Baser Ustad, Mia and I started firing with LMG, G3 and SLR rifles at Pakistani soldiers. There were 15 Pakistanis and three razakers. They were all killed, except two soldiers.

In the meantime, we ran out of bullets. So, I started running and took shelter at my niece’s house nearby. My niece was having trouble hiding me in a safe place as she saw two Pakistani soldiers coming towards her residence.

She then hid me inside a dol (a large bamboo basket for storing paddy) and put another one on top of it. Just five minutes later, the two soldiers came to look for me and started firing randomly. They tortured my niece, and also fired at the dol. But the bullets passed through the top of the basket.

They then set fire to houses in the area and went off. Later, my injured niece came to me and told me to come out. I was saved. I got recognition for that incident.

On December 8, there was fierce fighting at Laksham in Comilla. It was a successful battle and all the Pakistani soldiers surrendered. I was wounded by a bullet and taken to the Bishramganj Hospital at Agartala in Tripura, India, where Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury and Captain Dr Sitara Begum were working.   

The condition of my wounded leg was very serious, and so I was sent to different hospitals in India for further treatment. Later, I was brought back to Bangladesh and admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where many other wounded freedom fighters were receiving treatment. Bangabandhu came to meet us and became emotional after seeing our bad condition. He sent us to East Germany for better treatment. After one year of treatment, I returned home.  

We did what we could to become a free country. I always want the betterment of this country. I want Bangladesh to be a more developed country than Singapore or Malaysia.  

Nizam Uddin Mia, Age 64, Sector 11

I was born at Balia village in Basail of Tangail district. From my student life, I was a follower of Bangabandhu. After 1947, the rulers of Pakistan started discriminating against us in the east. We, the Bengalis, didn’t have any right to enjoy the fundamental rights of a citizen. So, freedom was the demand of the time in those days and the people started thinking about it. After declaration of independence by Bangabandhu on March 26, I, along with others in my area, decided to fight against Pakistani soldiers. With the help of Abu Sayed, the headmaster of my high school, I joined the Kaderia Bahini of Bir Uttam Kader Siddique in June and took training for one month from them.

I fought against the Pakistanis at Patharghata in Mirzapur. On December 16, we started our march to Dhaka. When we reached the Gabtoli-Aminbazar Bridge on the Turag River, we fought a face-to-face combat with Pakistani soldiers. They retreated due to our relentless firing. We then reached the Ramna Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan), where the Pakistani army surrendered. After witnessing our victory, we were returning to Tangail. When we were passing the Mirpur area, some people informed us that Pakistani soldiers had imprisoned some freedom fighters in a two-storied building and were brutally torturing them. So, we went to free them. We attacked the building, one of the soldiers threw a grenade through the window and I was injured by it. Finally, they were forced to surrender. I returned to my home and got treated by doctors there.

My request to the new generation is to know and preserve the proper history of our Liberation War.

Mozammel Haque, Age 81, Sector 7

I was born at Chatmohar of Pabna district. I was doing business in the 1960s. Being a Bengali trader, I had to face many difficulties dealing with my products in then East Pakistan. So, after suffering discrimination and oppression at the hands of the Pakistani rulers, I started dreaming of becoming the citizen of a free country.

From my childhood, I always wanted to meet the great leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The opportunity came in 1970 when he was passing our district by train for election campaigning. I went to the station to see him. Luckily, I got to meet him. He touched my head and asked me if I would go to Dhaka with him. That generosity of his inspired me a lot to take part in the Liberation War later.

I trained in India and fought in many battles. One of the remarkable fights took place on December 10. That time, we attacked the Chatmohar police station in Pabna and fought with Pakistani soldiers. My left leg was wounded with a bullet and I was taken to see a doctor. After receiving some treatment, I continued to fight, with the help of a stick to control my balance. But the condition of my leg deteriorated and I had to take rest. Finally, the Pakistani soldiers surrendered to us. After our victory, some freedom fighters took me back to Chatmohar.

Now, I am passing life as a disabled person, I lost my leg in the war. I am satisfied with the allowance given by the state. This is my request to the all young boys and girls: Live your lives imbued with the spirit of our great Liberation War and dedicate yourselves to spreading that spirit to every sector of our country.

Sanwar Talukder, Age 67,

Sector 11.

I was born at Kamatia village in Basail of Tangail district. I was an intermediate (HSC) student in 1971. On March 7, I came to Dhaka and heard the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu. After hearing him, I was greatly inspired to become a freedom fighter. When the Liberation War began, I joined Kaderia Bahini. The group’s first battle was held on April 4 at Kalihati of Tangail. I could not participate in it as I didn’t have combat training.

Later on, I went to India for training. After coming back to Bangladesh, I took part in the Nagarpur battle on November 30, when the Kaderia Bahini attacked Nagarpur police station in Tangail. Bir Protik Anwar Hossain Pahari was also present in that battle.

On December 2, I was seriously injured and fell down on the ground. My nephew was with me and he took me to a nearby camp. I was there for nine days for treatment. On December 11, Tangail became free and I was sent to Kumudini Hospital for better treatment.

After the victory of our country, I joined Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust and I am retired now. I have three daughters and one son. I want our new generation to preserve the ideals of the Liberation War and run the country accordingly. n

Photos: Courtesy, Archives.

Tales of Liberation War

The greatest chapter in our nations history is the Liberation War of 1971. The heroic people of Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, took up arms against the oppression and exploitation by the regime in West Pakistan and fought together to liberate our country and become a free nation. During the nine-month bloody war, many of our brave freedom fighters were wounded or maimed. According to Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust (Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust), the total number of war-wounded freedom fighters was 5,471, and 4,547 of them are still alive. The state has honoured the war-wounded freedom fighters and adopted various measures for their welfare. At a programme in Mymensingh recently, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Muzammel Haque said the government has taken steps for disabled and impoverished freedom fighters to get free treatment at hospitals from next January. The government also plans to provide bonuses to freedom fighters for Victory Day on December 16 and Independence Day on March 26 every year, the minister added, according to BSS. Ahead of our 47th Victory Day, The Weekend Independent talked to some war-wounded freedom fighters to hear their war stories and hopes for the country at a rehabilitation centre at Mirpur in the capital. Serajul Islam, Age 64, Sector 7, Sub-Sector 4 I was born at Palpur village under Dharampur in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district. I was a class-9 student in 1969. At the time, I took part in the 1969 uprising. I was arrested along with 1,400 students and sent to Rajshahi central jail. Even before that incident, I had started thinking that there was no way to stay with the then Pakistani rulers, as they werent looking after the interest of the people (in East Pakistan). They did not want us to speak in Bangla even. On April 10, 1971, Pakistani Army attacked and killed many Bengali EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) and army soldiers and officers. After that news spread, a mass movement was started in Rajshahi against their brutality. The mobs freed us from jail. Later on, with Bengali policemen and EPR troops, we tried to protest against the Pakistani army at the western part of Rajshahi city. But we couldnt stay there for long. Then, I, along with my friends Mantu, Mahabub and others, crossed the Padma River and went to Murshidabad district of India to join a youth training camp. On July 2, 1971, we went to Bihar Chakulia for further training. After completing our training, we joined the war in Sector 7, under sub-sector commander Brigadier Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury. There, I took part in several guerilla battles. My first fighting experience was at Avaiya Bridge in Godagari. We killed 80 Pakistani soldiers in that battle. We also fought at Shahidpur, Mulatoti, Baroghoria. Laxminarayanpur, Chaghati and Kumorpur, and took part in Raninagar Bridge operation. On December 14, 1971, we carried out a face-to-face counterattack at Chapai Nawabganj under group leader Bir Protik Nur Hamid, with the Indian Army. Many Indian soldiers and our freedom fighters were killed. Bir Shrestha Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir also participated in that battle and lost his life around 9.30am. I took part in the last part of that fight in the afternoon. My friend Saidul and I did our best fighting in that counterattack. Around 4pm, a bullet hit me in the waist and seriously wounded me. I fell down on the ground. Some of my friends rescued me from there and took me to Baharampur Hospital in India. I was senseless for many days. On December 16, I regained consciousness. An Indian nurse informed me about the victory of Bangladesh. Later, I was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. We used children to inform us about the position of Pakistani soldiers and razakers (collaborators). One of our child informants was Mehedi, he is now working at Rajshahi court. He was nine years old then. He also helped by bring us parts of weapons. Once, he hid a bomb under the soil on a road and it blew up an army jeep. Now, I want financial emancipation and prosperity for every citizen of the country. Abul Basir Chowdhory, Age 66, Sectors 1 and 2 I was born at Sattaynagar in Chandgazi under Chhagalnaiya upazila of Feni district. I was a class-10 student of Chandgazi High School, Feni, in 1971. After listening to the March 7 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the radio, I, along with 60 other youths, took part in a training programme at our village in April under Serajul Islam, a retired officer of Bengal Regiment. He taught us how to fight with bamboo sticks. After twenty days of training, we came to know about a training camp at a school in India. So, we went to Belonia in India to train under the Indian Army. My biggest operation was at Chhagalnaya in the first half of June. Baser Ustad, Mia and I started firing with LMG, G3 and SLR rifles at Pakistani soldiers. There were 15 Pakistanis and three razakers. They were all killed, except two soldiers. In the meantime, we ran out of bullets. So, I started running and took shelter at my nieces house nearby. My niece was having trouble hiding me in a safe place as she saw two Pakistani soldiers coming towards her residence. She then hid me inside a dol (a large bamboo basket for storing paddy) and put another one on top of it. Just five minutes later, the two soldiers came to look for me and started firing randomly. They tortured my niece, and also fired at the dol. But the bullets passed through the top of the basket. They then set fire to houses in the area and went off. Later, my injured niece came to me and told me to come out. I was saved. I got recognition for that incident. On December 8, there was fierce fighting at Laksham in Comilla. It was a successful battle and all the Pakistani soldiers surrendered. I was wounded by a bullet and taken to the Bishramganj Hospital at Agartala in Tripura, India, where Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury and Captain Dr Sitara Begum were working. The condition of my wounded leg was very serious, and so I was sent to different hospitals in India for further treatment. Later, I was brought back to Bangladesh and admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where many other wounded freedom fighters were receiving treatment. Bangabandhu came to meet us and became emotional after seeing our bad condition. He sent us to East Germany for better treatment. After one year of treatment, I returned home. We did what we could to become a free country. I always want the betterment of this country. I want Bangladesh to be a more developed country than Singapore or Malaysia. Nizam Uddin Mia, Age 64, Sector 11 I was born at Balia village in Basail of Tangail district. From my student life, I was a follower of Bangabandhu. After 1947, the rulers of Pakistan started discriminating against us in the east. We, the Bengalis, didnt have any right to enjoy the fundamental rights of a citizen. So, freedom was the demand of the time in those days and the people started thinking about it. After declaration of independence by Bangabandhu on March 26, I, along with others in my area, decided to fight against Pakistani soldiers. With the help of Abu Sayed, the headmaster of my high school, I joined the Kaderia Bahini of Bir Uttam Kader Siddique in June and took training for one month from them. I fought against the Pakistanis at Patharghata in Mirzapur. On December 16, we started our march to Dhaka. When we reached the Gabtoli-Aminbazar Bridge on the Turag River, we fought a face-to-face combat with Pakistani soldiers. They retreated due to our relentless firing. We then reached the Ramna Race Course (now Suhrawardy Udyan), where the Pakistani army surrendered. After witnessing our victory, we were returning to Tangail. When we were passing the Mirpur area, some people informed us that Pakistani soldiers had imprisoned some freedom fighters in a two-storied building and were brutally torturing them. So, we went to free them. We attacked the building, one of the soldiers threw a grenade through the window and I was injured by it. Finally, they were forced to surrender. I returned to my home and got treated by doctors there. My request to the new generation is to know and preserve the proper history of our Liberation War. Mozammel Haque, Age 81, Sector 7 I was born at Chatmohar of Pabna district. I was doing business in the 1960s. Being a Bengali trader, I had to face many difficulties dealing with my products in then East Pakistan. So, after suffering discrimination and oppression at the hands of the Pakistani rulers, I started dreaming of becoming the citizen of a free country. From my childhood, I always wanted to meet the great leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The opportunity came in 1970 when he was passing our district by train for election campaigning. I went to the station to see him. Luckily, I got to meet him. He touched my head and asked me if I would go to Dhaka with him. That generosity of his inspired me a lot to take part in the Liberation War later. I trained in India and fought in many battles. One of the remarkable fights took place on December 10. That time, we attacked the Chatmohar police station in Pabna and fought with Pakistani soldiers. My left leg was wounded with a bullet and I was taken to see a doctor. After receiving some treatment, I continued to fight, with the help of a stick to control my balance. But the condition of my leg deteriorated and I had to take rest. Finally, the Pakistani soldiers surrendered to us. After our victory, some freedom fighters took me back to Chatmohar. Now, I am passing life as a disabled person, I lost my leg in the war. I am satisfied with the allowance given by the state. This is my request to the all young boys and girls: Live your lives imbued with the spirit of our great Liberation War and dedicate yourselves to spreading that spirit to every sector of our country. Sanwar Talukder, Age 67, Sector 11. I was born at Kamatia village in Basail of Tangail district. I was an intermediate (HSC) student in 1971. On March 7, I came to Dhaka and heard the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu. After hearing him, I was greatly inspired to become a freedom fighter. When the Liberation War began, I joined Kaderia Bahini. The groups first battle was held on April 4 at Kalihati of Tangail. I could not participate in it as I didnt have combat training. Later on, I went to India for training. After coming back to Bangladesh, I took part in the Nagarpur battle on November 30, when the Kaderia Bahini attacked Nagarpur police station in Tangail. Bir Protik Anwar Hossain Pahari was also present in that battle. On December 2, I was seriously injured and fell down on the ground. My nephew was with me and he took me to a nearby camp. I was there for nine days for treatment. On December 11, Tangail became free and I was sent to Kumudini Hospital for better treatment. After the victory of our country, I joined Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust and I am retired now. I have three daughters and one son. I want our new generation to preserve the ideals of the Liberation War and run the country accordingly. n Photos: Courtesy, Archives.