Saturday | 5 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
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Saturday | 5 October 2024 | Epaper

Terrible memories of 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War

Published : Wednesday, 5 July, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 740
Nizam Ahmed
Bangladesh won its 1971 liberation war against Pakistan in a shorter period of nine months only, because most of the people, accept a few, actively supported and acted for the victory, which was achieved on December 16 with the surrender of marauders at the Dhaka's Race Course, now Suhrawardy  Udyan.

With the start of the liberation war after the declaration of independence by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on early hours of March 26, Bangalee military officers and their troops at different cantonments revolted against the Pakistani Army after they had cracked down on the people. However, within weeks Bangalee troops were compelled to cross over to India, which accepted them and extended facilities to train up the Bangalee youths for guerrilla warfare.

Being the survivors of massacre, arson, torture and harassment, among the 75 million people around 10 million fled their homes in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) and took refuge in neighbouring India, which encompasses Bangladesh from the three sides with the Bay of Bengal in the south.
Most of the people who could not flee the country however, moved to remotest corners leaving the cities and the urban centres.

Bangalee government officials, teachers of government institutions, some established businesspersons and members of utility services could not flee either due to personal problems or due to service preconditions. These people ultimately became hostage at the hand of the Pakistani occupation forces and had to serve at their respective offices and institutions
These helpless people had to completely surrender to the Pakistani forces and their local lackeys. They had to serve the Pakistani forces, who later formed different unit of auxiliary forces of Pakistan army, namely Razakars, Al Badars , Al Shams etc and resorted to capturing, and killing freedom loving people.

Besides these regular forces like Mukti Bahini and soldiers operating under the command of Bangladesh government in exile and several irregular forces like Kaderia Bahibi, the individual people also contributed to the liberation war in different ways and means. They risked their lives amid the then ongoing massacre by the Pakistani occupation forces, only to free the country.

As a detained Freedom Fighter at a condemned cell meant for an about to be executed criminal at the Chittagong Central Jail in 1971, I saw how a young cleaner risked his life carrying out a brief letter from me and sent it to my elder brother, who was a young doctor at Chittagong General Hospital,  at Anderkilla.

I was arrested along with two of my companions from a shelter at Hazaree Lane in Chittagong city on the fateful evening of July 5, 1971, following a raid by a joint team of Pakistan soldiers and a band of their local collaborator Al Shams, headed by Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, eldest son of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury.

A former Speaker and former Acting President of Pakistan and then incumbent chief of Pakistan Convention Muslim League in 1971, Fazlul Quader Chowdhury actively collaborated with Pakistan occupation army and was allegedly responsible for killing of several freedom fighters until the end of the nine-month long Bangladesh Liberation War.

Fazlul Quader Chowdhury's armed agents allegedly killed many freedom fighters, politicians and ordinary people, looted properties, mainly of the Hindus, who had fled their homes and went to India as refugees. After the independence of Bangladesh, Fazlul Quader Chowdhury died in Dhaka jail of cardiac arrest in 1974. While his son Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury was hanged in November 2015 for war crimes, specially for killing Hindu Industrialist Natun Chandra Sinha at his home at Gohira, Raozan in Chittagong in 1971.

Fazlul Quader Chowdhury while hosting a group of fellow collaborators at his sprawling drawing room on the Goods Hill in the port city of Chittagong, burst into anger when two grenades and a revolver seized from us during our capture, were placed before him.

He was so angry and aggressive that he almost lost his balance and swooped on me hitting with both fists on my face and chest. As Chowdhury had finished hitting me with fist, his Pakistani-soldier body guards started beating me. Minutes later some Pakistani troops in plain-clothes from the Army Field Intelligent Unit came down and took me over for interrogation.

Following a daylong recce on  outposts of Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators -- the Razakars, I was just resting on a wooden coach, leaning by back on the wall of a half burnt concrete house at Hazaree Lane, in the port city of Chittagong.

They dragged us at gun-point and led us to a military jeep. In a five-minute drive we were taken to a palace like residence of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, on the top of the Goods Hill.  As the jeep reached the lawn of hilltop building, the outfits jumped down the jeep and shouted "mission is successful, mission is successful."

After 24 hours of torture, intimidation and harassment we were shifted to the temporary camp of the Field Intelligent Unit of Pakistan army at Niaz Stadium now MA Aziz Stadium on the night of July 6. We were dumped at a large room, at which around 30 other frightened young people were huddled. In the name of interrogation the Pakistani army's intelligence group tortured us till evening of July 13. However, we were served with flattened bread, lentil and tea twice daily during the ordeal.
On the evening of July 13 myself and Siraj were taken on a lorry and were driven to Chittagong cantonment. After several hours of interrogation with torture, they sent us to Chittagong jail at round the midnight.

After my capture I was totally separated from my parents and siblings. I guessed that they might have taken me as dead, because Pakistanis used to kill thousands of people every day across the country.

Young sweeper Shankar by name, used to clean the prison cell every day. Shankar was a casual cleaner. He was thoroughly searched while entering and leaving the jail compound. When asked one day he said he was a resident of a slum near Chittagong General Hospital and his mother was a staff maid of doctor's word. Knowing that my elder brother was doctor of the hospital where his mother worked.

Shankar had become sympathetic to me. I thought I could send a small letter to my elder brother and accordingly asked Shankar whether he would dare to smuggle out a small piece of paper to my brother.

My elder brother Dr. Qutubuddin Ahmed was working at the hospital at a children's ward. Incidentally Shankar's mother used to work at the children's ward often. One day Shankar handed me a small piece of paper and a short pencil. I was so thrilled that even I forgot to know from him how he brought these in amid tight security.  

I hurriedly wrote to my brother that I am alive at Chittagong jail. Shankar stealthily carried my small letter to his mother, who handed it over to my elder brother. After getting the brief letter my siblings and parents came to know that I was alive.

Like him, there were thousands of Shankars, their parents, their siblings and their relatives who risked their lives sheltering, feeding, carrying weapons, informing the freedom fighters about the movement of Pakistani troops throughout the Bangladesh Liberation War which was won by dint of their patriotism and valour, however, at the cost of three millions martyrs and sanctity of 200,000 women

The writer is Business Editor, The Daily Observer.



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