Victory day Memoirs
by Limana Solaiman Mridha
We are free today because more than four decades ago our parents and grandparents decided to take a stand against oppression and fight for justice. They fought for our beloved mother tongue and for a land free of all kinds of discrimination; they fought against the Pakistani armys brutality and unimaginable crimes. Due to their sacrifices and brave initiatives, we are here today _ a free and sovereign nation. As we celebrate our 44th Victory Day, The Weekend Independent caught up with a few Muktijoddha (freedom fighters) to hear their personal stories of December 16, 1971 and crucial days leading up to it.
Captain Shahab U Ahmed, Bir Uttam
It was a memorable affair. By December 9, 1971, we had the east coast of Meghna River under our control. The Pakistanis were retreating and while doing so, they blew up the Bhairab Bridge to make crossing the Meghna impossible. On December 11, we dropped (Indian) soldiers across the Meghna, south of Narshingdi, we were assigned as armed escorts. We noticed a convoy advancing for an ambush, and we in turn attacked them with rockets and machineguns and did extensive damage to the Pakistani army. By the morning of December 12, Narshingdi was free and under the control of Mukti Bahini. Surrender operations started from December 14.
On the morning of December 16, General Osmani was in Agartala and we flew him to Comilla. We were at the Circuit House till 1:30pm, and upon hearing no further news, we returned to Agartala with the general and on landing, we learned that the Pakistanis were ready to surrender. Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora went to Dhaka with his team at about 4:30pm to attend the ceremony. Seven of us, pilots, came to Dhaka Tejgaon airport and met with General Niazi and Aurora. We were filled with joy, it was a most memorable occasion, to say the least.
Lt Gen M Harun-Ar-Rashid (retd), Bir Protik
We celebrated the liberation of Comilla town on December 8 and by 10th, we had the Comilla cantonment surrounded. On the 13th, we were supposed to launch an attack and we were prepared for it. But we received instructions to halt the mission, and on the same day, many Pakistani soldiers escaped from the cantonment and surrendered to us. On the 14th morning, General Sam Manekshaw through a radio announcement urged the Pakistani army to surrender, and we understood then that it would happen soon. The 15th was a calm day, compared to a regular war day, and on the afternoon of the 16th, we heard that the Pakistanis would surrender (in Dhaka) by the evening, but it did not happen that day in Comilla. The next day, we got to know that at 4pm, on the Kotbari EPR ground, the Pakistani army would surrender. So, from the Bangladesh side, commanding officer of the 9th East Bengal Regiment Major Muhammad Ainuddin, Lieutenant Shahriar Huda and I attended the ceremony at Kotbari. Pakistani garrison commander Brigadier Atif surrendered to General RD Hira.
Anwarul Alam
(ex-ambassador)
I was the second in command of the Tangail Mukti Bahini. It is a time to remember. On December 11, 1971, I was returning to Tangail from our headquarters at Mohanandapur village when the Indian army paratroopers started landing near Poongli. It was quite a sight. I was only about 1.5 miles away and I ran to greet them. I introduced myself to Lt Col KS Pannu and he put forward two requests. One was to disperse the gathering crowd, and the second was for local volunteers to help carry the load and push the artillery guns and jeep to the road.
A full-fledged battle broke out with the Pakistani army in the evening, and perhaps, it was one of the biggest face-to-face encounters of the 1971 war. Early the next morning, the Pakistanis ceased firing and dispersed, leaving weapons and the dead behind. General Nagra came to Tangail on December 13 and we all had a talk after which we decided to move towards Dhaka. I was still stationed in Tangail and was supposed to provide support from there if necessary. Kader (Siddique) accompanied the Indian army with his group. When news of the surrender reached Tangail, we rushed to Dhaka, but unfortunately, the surrender ceremony was already over by then. But it was a joyous occasion nonetheless.
Col Dr Shamsul Alam (retd)
At that time, I was at the Indian army headquarters located at No 8 Theatre Road, Kolkata. I cannot put words to my reaction and feelings of that time. It was a tough time as I was worried whether I will find my family (back home) alive or not as we were out of touch for a long time. At the same time, I felt joyous that finally, we have achieved what we most desired and all our sacrifices counted for something. I cannot explain it, its hard to put in words.
Prof Amjad Hossain
I was recovering from a bullet wound and was admitted at the Bharat Bihar Ramgar Cantonment Hospital. I was injured during a front fight. That day, December 16, 1971, Indian army officers brought sweets to our hospital ward. There were forty of us injured and admitted at the ward, and we celebrated. The very next day, we had another celebration, this time artistes were brought in for a cultural programme and there was a feast and the celebrations went on for two days. It is a time to remember.
Md Shahjahan Mridha Benu
I was moving towards Dhaka from Narshingdis Belabo thana with a group of twenty-eight when all of a sudden, we heard a shout _ Joy Bangla Joy Bangla _ and we stopped then and realised what had happened. We were filled with joy and hugged each other and the locals offered us gur and muri (molasses and puffed rice), which we ate with gusto. After a while, we resumed our march and this time, we moved swiftly but cautiously and reached our destination (Dhaka) the next day. We stayed at the Geography Building of Dhaka University. December 16, 1971 was a once in a lifetime experience and it was an honour to be a part of it all.
Photos: courtesy, Archives
