GLORIOUS LIBERATION WAR

An Example of Pakistani Beasts' Nefariousness

Once some army officer raided the Rokeya Hall, the girls’ hostel of Dacca University, on October 7, 1971. Accompanied by five soldiers, Major Aslam had first visited the hostel on October 3, and asked the lady superintendent to supply some girls who could sing and dance at a function to be held in Tejgaon Cantonment. The superintendent told him that most of the girls had left the hostel after the disturbances and only 40 students were residing but as a superintendent of a girls’ hostel she should not allow them to go to the cantonment for this purpose. Dissatisfied, Major Aslam went away. Soon after the superintendent informed a higher army officer in the cantonment, over the telephone, of the Major’ s mission.

However, on October 7, at about 8 p.m. Major Aslam and his men raided the hostel. The soldiers broke open the doors, dragged the girls out and stripped them before raping and torturing them in front of the helpless superintendent. The entire thing was done so, openly, without any provocation, that even the Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, had to publish the story, violating censorship by the military authorities. In seven days after liberation about 300 girls were recovered from different places around Dacca where they had been taken away and kept confined by the Pakistani army men. On December 26, altogether 55 emaciated and half-dead girls on the verge of mental derangement were recovered by the Red Cross with the help of the Mukti Bahini and the allied forces from various hideouts of the Pakistani army in Narayanganj, Dacca Cantonment and other small towns on the periphery of Dacca city.

Chuknagar: The largest genocide during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971

                                         

Chuknagar is a small business town located in the Dumuria Thana of Khulna district and very close to the India Bangladesh border. In 71 thousands of refugees gathered in Chuknagar to go to Kolkata. According to a conservative account around ten thousand people were in Chuknagar waiting to cross the border.

In the early morning of May 10, the fatal day around 10am two trucks carrying Paki troops arrived at Kautala (then known as Patkhola). The Pakis were not many in number, most possibly a platoon or so. As soon as the Paki trucks stopped, the Pakis alighted from the truck carrying light machine guns (LMGs) and semi automatic rifles and opened fire on the public. Within a few minutes a lively town turned into a city of death.

The accounts of the two hundred interviewees were same. They differed only in details. “There were piled up dead bodies. Dead Kids’ on dead mum’s laps. Wives hugging their beloved husbands to protect them from killer bullets. Dads’ hugging their daughters to shield them. Within a flash they all were just dead bodies. Blood streamed into the Bhadra river, it became a river of corps. A few hours later when the Paki bastards ran out of bullets, they killed the rest of the people with bayonet.”

Source: Muntassir Mamun, The Archive of Liberation War, Bangabandhu and Bangladesh Research Institute

Bless Me Mother

I Gonna Go to the War...

We fought for the country and made the country free from enemies. But now we have to pull rickshaw for livelihood. It hurts us greatly. But we are hurt acutely when we see the 'Razakars' moving on motor vehicles in front of the freedom fighters in this country. In this way, freedom fighter Md. Alauddin, a rickshaw puller of Jahangirnogor University Campus, expressed his regret.

Md. Alauddin is the son of village Shirnoti in Naogaon district. His father was Lal Muhammad. In 1971 he joined sector 7 and became a part of the liberation war.

He said, "When Bangabandhu delivered his speech on 7th March, we began to take our mental preparation. After the heinousness on 25th March we went to the Parilia Camp of Tapon Police Station, Maldah, India giving up the cultivation. Before going to the war I told my mother, 'All the 7 crore people will not go to the war, mother. I gonna go, pray for me. Your other two sons and a daughter will remain with you.' Mother felt a little bit sad at the time of departure. Then she said, 'Go son, you have to.'

I told mother, 'If you bless me, I will return with independence.' Mother blessed me putting her hand on my head. I started. For one time I turned back and saw my mother looking at me. I asked, 'Why are you looking at me, mother? You just bless me and let me snatch the independence.' Mother smiled and said, 'God bless you son. May you have the courage to cover up the danger.' I did not turn back ever and joined the camp.

We used to take training and enter Bangladesh at night. We launched Guerrilla attacks. First under Nazmul Haque and then under Nuruzzaman I fought in sector 7 in Naogaon and Rajshahi. One night we came to Sapahar Pakistani Camp to launch an attack. The whole camp was fully empty. There was no sign of Pak Army. Later we came to know that the country had become independent. Our happyness knew no bound." 

Alauddin again said,"The happiness I felt that day is not probably possible to be felt ever again. There were about 100-150 fighters in our team. When someone died we would not be informed. Some others used to take  him away. Sometimes when we went to any big mission, fighters of other camps helped us."

Though Alauddin joined the liberation war he did not get any job for his poor educational background. So he was compelled to surrender to his luck and pull rickshaw for his livelihood. But as a freedom fighter the people in Naogaon respected him and did not want to get on his rickshaw. The commanders of the liberation war forbade him to pull rickshaw. For this reason he had come to Jahangirnogor University area.

Alauddin lives in a house beside the campus as a tenant. The other members of his family live in Naogaon at his own house. Everyday he earns 100 to 150 taka. He can not maintain his family properly and run the expenses of his children's education with his little income. He wants to make his family a well-to-do family. But his most desirable intention is to see the justice of the war criminals before his death.

He claimed an exemplary punishment of the war criminals to the present government.

According to Md. Alauddin's speech, "After the punishment the holly spirits of the martyred freedom fighters can enjoy heavenly pleasure and the others will get relief."