Pride Tale of Bangladesh Police Rajarbagh & Mujibnagar
Mahbub Uddin
Ahmed, Bir Bikram
Travelling 41 years
back in the memory lane, I can testify that my team and I contributed to the history of independent Bangladesh. At that time,
1 was the sub-divisional police officer of
Jhenidah. My team consisted of co-policemen, my driver Mannan and three bodyguards. These few people went onto becoming
my companion during the liberation war starting from the night of 25th March
1971. The war broke off in response to West
Pakistani Military junta's attempt to
rule East Pakistan in spite of Awami
League's unprecedented democratic victory in the national & provincial elections of 1970. As history has it, East Pakistan fought the 9 month
war with great valour, attained
victory and became Independent Bangladesh.
The purpose of this
piece is to give my present and future generation a glimpse of the most auspicious historic occasion,
where the Bangladeshi police held the
most important role. On the night of March 25th, West Pakistani army attacked Rajarbagh Police line with tanks and
mortars. The East Pakistani (now Bangladesh)
police battled back and stopped the advancing
army for some time with their heroic resistance.
In the process many Bangladeshi policemen lost their lives. However,
some policemen fled the battle field upon being overwhelmed by the bloodshed milled out by the inhumane Pakistan army.
From March 25 to April 16 Bangladesh battled the Pakistan army along with the public. We distributed
arms that were in our possession to the people, and trained them to fight. Around April 10, Pakistan
made a three prong attack on our
position from Pabna. Jessore,
Goalonda, forcing me, my policemen and other
civilian forces to retreat and cross onto the Indian border on that night. On the morning of April 17, we were informed that the installation
ceremony of our government in exile
was to be held at Boiddanathtola on
that same morning. The reason that spot was picked is because it was an
enclave of Bangladesh and India. Hence, if the Pakistan army entered
the Indian airspace, the Indian airforce would attack them.
As planned, on the
morning 17th April, 1971 I extended
Guard of honor to the newly proclaimed independent
government of Bangladesh along with my
policemen and 12 Ansars. Till date, this is one of the most significant events in the history of Bangladesh.
I had made several
revisits to the holy spot beginning 17th April, 1998. Most important of them was the 2011 trip with the
Prime Minister Sk. Hasina. In 2009, the government had taken up the task of creating a
liberation war Memorial in Mujibnagar centering the spot where the guard of
honor was bestowed. It
started when the pro-independent Awami League
Government was installed in-power on the 29th of December the same year
with a group of 268 elected parliamentary members. The unprecedented victory in parliamentary election made the significance of Mujibnagar Day very high, as the Prime
Minister asked the State Minister in Charge of liberation war to finish the glorious and historic building activities at a fast pace and depict the
true history of Liberation war around the Liberation War Memorial At Mujibnagar. The attempts of the previous governments to falsify the history of our nation's most glorious moments had to be
obliterated at the same time. Like
many previous years, this year also I was a part of this glorious day of celebrations. With pride I can say that this year the celebrations had all
together a new meaning and dimension.
Unlike some of the previous years,
this time the visit was not overshadowed with the backlash of
government run by anti-democratic and anti-independent forces.
On Saturday the 17th
of April 1971 a formal and official
announcement of an independent Bangladesh was
made to the global community. The government was solemnized and an oath
taking ceremony was organized. On the same day, Boiddanathtola an unknown
bordering village called Bhaberpara under Meherpur district was given the name
Mujibnagar. It was announced, by one of the founding fathers and first ever
Prime Minister of Independent State of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmed, MNA. In
front of a huge crowd who gathered there, the world media, and the other
members of the government in exile headed by its Acting President Syed Nazrul
Islam came the utterance- "from today this place will be named Mujibnagar
and it will be the capital of Independent Bangladesh.
On the 10th of April some of the
fighting Muktibahini commanders Maj. Shafitillall, Maj. Zaman, Gen. Rob and
Col. (Retd) Osmani, MNA met Mr. Tajuddin and his companions at Agartola. This
delegation requested them to give the fighting forces a government and
political umbrella. They advocated for Col. Osmani to be appointed commander in
chief of the three forces viz. army, navy and airforce. This was imperative to
re-organize and fight the armed liberation war on a disciplined, cohesive and
united fashion. Before making this request to the political hierarchy they met
on 4th April at Teliapara to determine the future course of action of those who took up arms and
rebelled against Pakistan army.
It was on this 10th of April at
Agartola, that some elected representatives of Bangladesh's both assemblies-
the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly, sat and made the momentous
decision to form a government of independent and sovereign Bangladesh with
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the President & Supreme Commander of
the Armed Forces and Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed as the Prime Minister. This was
formally aired by a prerecorded message to the world media through a througradio
station at Shiliguri jungle and a two kilowatts strong Shadhin Bangla
Betar Kendra at Agartola. Next day on the I Ith of April at Agartola Circuit
House, Mr. Syed Nazrul Islam had already joined other members of the Parliament
crossing the Mymensing border. He presided over a joint meeting of most of the
available MNA's and MPA's. The decision to form government headed by
Bangabandhu with Tajuddin as PM was approved there. A full fledged cabinet of 5
members was formed. This information was again aired through Akashbani,
Calcutta and Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra same day. These were historic initial
overtures by a nascent independent government of Bangladesh in exile to declare
its formation.
However, this declaration was to be
followed by a formal launching of an oath taking ceremony.
The ceremony had to take place openly
inside Bangladesh, in its independent territory, to make any sense to the
international community. After all, the government in exile had to prove that
it indeed was independent within its own territory.
After the declaration, the most
important task to the new cabinet, led by its Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed,
was to find out a safe venue to install and proclaim the existence of the
government. During late March lie passed through FaridpLir, Magura, Jhenaidah,
Chuadanga and Meherpur axis. Therefore he had the personal knowledge and belief
that this area was still a safe haven. There already a full fledged Muktifouz
command structure had taken root. In the South-Western part of Bangladesh
comprising Jessore, Kustia, Khulna etc. the military command of Maj. (now Retd.
Col.) Abu Osman Chowdhury, of 8 Win(, EPR (now BGB) enjoyed the full support of the entire population and
its leaders led by Dr. Ashabul Huq, MNA of Chuadanga. Dr. Huq being the Chief
Advisor of South-Western command of Muktifouz lent his full support to the war
efforts of Maj. Osman. Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed, consulted his cabinet and decided to
formally launch the government in the tree soil of Chuadanga, and the date was
fixed 14th of April. However, by the evening of the 13th April, having been
forced to retreat from the advanced positions at Barobazar strong hold under
Jhenaidah, followed by fall of .1henaidall and Chuadanga, it was found that the
place was not tenable to be held back under the sway of Muktibahini any longer.
Already Pakistani air force had started bombardment and strafing and advanced
movement of Pak infantry was underway. A triangular attack simultaneously from
Jessore Cantonment. Goalanda Ghat and Bheramara bridge had been launched by the
Pakistani invaders. In the face of this attack. Muktibahini fighters started
retreating towards bordering areas. Therefore, the government of Tajuddin Ahmed
made a slight change in its schedule for investiture ceremony both in terms of
date and location. After some deliberation and discussion with the cabinet and
secret overtures with Indian government and its Eastern Command at Fort
NVIlliarn. the government decided to move the venue from Chuadanga to Meherpur,
albeit, Boiddanathtola. It was a bordering village, a Bangladesh enclave,
surrounded in 3 sides by West Bengal. Selection of the location made it impossible for the Pakistan air force to resort to air strafing without violating,
Indian air space and difficult for the foot soldiers to advance from Jessore Cantonment. As this village had contiguity with Nadia District of West-Bengal it could be accessed and entered into from the Indian
soil by road. This was, I must say a
very ingenious and intelligent move oil the part of the provisional government. It was made exciting and adventurous, by keeping the time date and places a total secret.
This created all atmosphere
of adventure and tension in the mind
of all the journalists who were made ready at Calcutta (now Kolkata) to
move towards an unknown destination for an unknown and yet a highly significant
occasion.
Having made the
arrangements complete, the big party
consisting of all the designate members of the cabinet, many members of the
international and local electronic and print
media started for the D'hour and the unknown destination very early in the
morning of 17th April, 1971. The
cavalcade of cars, mostly Indian Ambassadors, some vehicles squeezed out
of Bangladesh by the freedom fighters, with passengers Including most of the Bangladesh's leading politicians, student and youth leaders, journalists reached the hitherto unknown village of
Boiddanathtola.
It was at about
10:45 hours in the morning of the auspicious day. By the time the caravan had arrived, thousands of freedom loving people of
independent Bangladesh, had already gathered
and the arrival beckoned the beginning of a new era in our history, heralded by "Joy Banda" "Joy
Bangabandhu" slogan in the throat cracking voice of all those
present.
It was a fresh day,
a fresh morning, a few days after the
Bengali New Year. The place was struck by a Nor-Wester, popularly known as
Kalbaishakhi. A cyclonic whirlwind had battered the area the previous night. It
broke down many branches in the mango grove that welcomed the new day, a new beginning, indeed a very fresh morning. The old dust and
scams of the past were washed away by
the torrential rain accompanied by
thunder and gusty winds. The sky was
ash blue with moving flecks of snow white clouds. The nationhood and the mango garden, albeit the whole area was washed and hallowed by the new wind
and pure rain water. The leaves of the springy
mango trees were gleaming with shining rays of the morning
sun, creating a multi-coloured rainbow. One could
smell the fragrance of wet leaves hanging in the air. The slow wind was
creatiric, murmurs across the tree tops and its umpteen leaves left its mark of
purity and piety in the cool morning breeze. The whole garden was bemused with
gaiety, freshness and jubilation. Chirping birds, click clacking squirrels,
pecking sounds of woodpeckers, singing of doves, and cooing of cuckoos from a
distance added their mirth in the whispering tree tops wheezed by the wind.
blowing Ind. The garden floor was morning's
littered with small mangoes all over the green grass. The mud beneath the
carpet of grass was loose and soft. All told it was a natural set up for a big
bang. And then came the big bang, in the form of announcement of the
investiture of the government of independent Bangladesh. It had all the pomp
and gaiety of a new, free nation, enriched with pure people power, engraved in
the stone of time with a huge deposit of blood. Already thousands of women had
been raped and killed by the marauding Pakistani hordes in all the places
conceivable. Yet its thirst for blood was left unquenched to be followed in the
coming days by horrendous tales of inhuman atrocity on an unarmed people.
By now the world
press had informed through its media many stories of the massacre of a people
by an animalistic junta, rape of innumerable women and the beginning of the
fleeing of uncountable refugees. Millions more were made homeless in the
meantime. The world also, at the same time, felt an aura of respect for the
freedom loving people. The global circle saw a mother who bore her child in her
womb for long 23 years under severe repression. blood and gore. The citizens of
Bangladesh fought one of the most sophisticated and "armed to the
teeth" army without fear of death. The united polity had by this time
formed itself into an army imbued with an indomitable and unfathomable spirit
to destroy the enemies at any cost. This was led by its supreme commander
Bangabandhu, whose destiny was embroiled in mystery and perhaps death, in
absentia.
Thus had come the
morning of the 17th April in that little known village, without knowing that in
a few moments it was going to be engraved in the history forever as the citadel
of a new existence.
The swearing in
ceremony for the newly announced provisional government and its cabinet was
proclaimed with an unusual gravity and extraordinary joyousness by its great people
and soldiers. The proclamation of independence was read out by Mr. Yousuf All,
MNA. He also led the swearing in ceremony of the cabinet. As Bangabandhu was
physically 'Absent, the Vice-President of the cabinet Syed Nazrul Islam was
sworn as Acting President amongst thunderous clapping, applause and slogans of
"Joy Bangla" and "Joy Bangabandhu". Here we felt the
absence of Bangabandhu who was detained by the Pakistani Junta. Although he was
away in Pakistani Jail, he was omnipresent. We felt his presence in the air, on
the land everywhere. However, Syed Nazrul Islam was to be In-charge. Along with
him the other 4 members, viz Tajuddin Ahmed, PM, Mr. M. Monsur Ali, Finance
Minister, Mr. A.H.M. Quamruzzaman, Relief Minister and Mostaque, Foreign
Minister were also administered the oath of office. Then came the moment when the
obedience of the entire armed forces was to
the showered on the new government. An armed guard of honor was to be
given to the Acting President as a mark of obedience of the fighting army.
The guard of honor
was destined to be given by a band of ill-clad soldiers of an unknown
denomination. They were under the command of its unassuming captain who
belonged neither to the army nor to a regimental force. He had not been wearing
any freshly ironed or pressed uniform. Neither was it bejeweled. Some of the
men lined for the parade had tips of their cades broken. Everybody's uniforms
and caps were disheveled and multifarious. Most of the boys had worn clothes
that had not been changed in last 10 days as they were either in battles or on
the run since the midnight of 25th March. But what the police officer along
with a few constables and about a dozen of Ansars were seen with, was out of
the ordinary. They were holding arms, wearing torn clothes, but most
importantly they all had a spirit of sacrifice, an overwhelming spirit to
embrace death and nothing short of death for the motherland. Their eyes
gleaming, faces shining endowed in unity of soul in the parade to bestow guard of honor was reflecting on those
present like a ray of I light and of hope.
This was the reflection of a United force ready to extend its unconditional
support and obedience to the newly formed cabinet, under all circumstances. It
demonstrated the spirit of a united Muktibahini fighting in all fronts, all
over the country showering its respect and obedience to the Acting President,
its cabinet, the Government, the country. The show of respect and obedience in
the face of adversity was total. The spirit in return demanded only one thing,
total freedom of Bangladesh. The unity was manifested in deafening "Joy Bangla" that morning, by everyone
present there.
In the flashing
lights of the camera, the guard of honor was over in a short while. This was
followed by speeches by PM Tajuddin and by Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam.
The speeches were delivered with thunderous applause and monumental slogans. In
came the vow, "... our victory in this war is certain. We will win will if
not we ill win tomorrow. If not, day after tomorrow. The independent Bangladesh
born today can not be erased from the map of the world."
It was oil this
rostrum, the make-shift dais made by local
people out of bamboo, wooden chowkis, adored with
broken chairs and a defective harmonium borrowed from a local church, Tajuddin
made his historic pronouncement, "Henceforth Boiddanathtola will be named Mujibnagar after the name of our
great leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Kalman and the capital Of our independent country will be called
Mujibnagar."
During the entire
period of the bloody war, the government in exile whether at Theater road
Calcutta or at the tip of Dinajpur, used Mujibnagar libnagar as the address. It
was in this holy soil in a small cottage of our independent Bangladesh, that
the first cabinet had its very first humble meal consisting of chapatti and lentil soup. At that time, this was the
very essence of entertainment. It was here that a few members of the cabinet
experienced the first few moments of rest and respite
on the muddy floor of a kutcha hut after a long and arduous journey from Calcutta to a destination they
could call their own.
In fact when Mr.
Tajuddin was lying on "sheelal pati" laid on the floor I entered the border
outpost built of bamboos roofed with C.I.
sheets, after the guard of honor parade. I had the audacity to lie down beside him. He for a few moments had put himself in the luxury of a nap, which obviously unwillingly I disturbed. Instead of being annoyed, he opened his
sleepy eyes, smiled and said,
"Mahbub, you are my first soldier," I replied, "Sir, pray
that we return home victorious." He said, "Of course, we will."
Then he continued with his nap.
After a while, I
came out and talked to one of the jawans of the Indian army. There were many of them all around waiting
in guard cloaked in civilian outfit. I asked him, "Why are you here?" He replied,
"We are here to protect
your leaders from any attack of the Pak army." I was surprised that our
government had already struck a deal with the Indian government in military matters. This knowledge put our mental strength and spirit on a high gear. Then I bumped
into a journalist. He was a foreigner
and was counting steps from the border
towards the dais. I asked hirn what he was doing. He said, "I just
walked from the border line to the digs, it is only 300 yards."
It was these
journalists, who had braved all the way from Calcutta with the caravan, and at
the end of the ceremony, reported all over the world, about the momentous bloody yet brave birth of a new nation. Their press releases by various means, such as telephone
and telex had made an impact, unparalleled and unequalled in the annals of
human history. Those were not yet the days of the internet, not even fax
machines, and overseas telephone lines were almost impossible to get connected
in short efforts. Yet the whole world came to know that Bangladesh was born
after 23 years of human hardship (being under West Pakistan rule), total torture of a race and bloody annihilation of
millions by a heartless and brutal Pakistani military.
The essence of this
day lay in the fact that Mrs. Gandhi, on the 31st of March made a clarion call in the Indian
Parliament and informed the house that a reign of terror was let loose on unarmed
civilians in the form of "a massive
attack by armed forces dispatched from West Pakistan" (resolution of the
Indian Parliament 31st March 1971 moved by Mrs. Indira Gandhi). The resolution
in no uncertain terms "records its profound conviction that the historic
upsurge of the 75 million people of East Bengal will triumph". Mrs. Gandhi
took her support a step further when she declared on the 4th of April in Delhi
in the conference of the All India Congress Committee that "it is not
possible, nor desirable that India remains a silent spectator on the face of
the happenings in East Bengal". In fact by this she had already recognized
the fighting population of Bangladesh, de-facto. By allowing the government to
function from its soil she made it immensely clear that she meant what she said
in the Parliament. Her government extended all their support on humanitarian
grounds, but many other forms of assistance had to be tackled in a clandestine
manner. With the open declaration of formation of the government of Bangladesh
in exile, it became for her to help Bangladesh organize its possible forces
with arms, ammunitions, training and subsistence openly. Besides for the
millions of refugees flowing by the day into the Indian border areas, India
could seek international help. The Indian people had started coming out with
extended arms to help the fighting Bengalis in large numbers almost from the
dawn of 26th March. Various voluntary organizations in India made it their duty
to forge all kinds of assistance for the fighting force as well as the refugees
who were pouring in. The coming into being of the government made the Indian
people confident, especially those who had come out to assist the war efforts
and help the refugees. Formation and proclamation of the government enabled many international luminaries like Edward
Kennedy (U.S. Senator), Donald Chesworth, (War on want), Professor Ambassador
Galwava of USA and so on to visit the war ravaged areas along the borders of
Indo-Bangladesh. They witnessed the teeming millions who were thrust into
extreme hardship, misery, disease and deaths by the unprecedented inhuman
torture and attempted annihilation of the Bengali race. Many bodies were formed
in their agony to halt this treacherous pursuit. Many private organizations
were created in India instantaneously within a very short period.
This enabled and encouraged the then
Pakistani Deputy High Commissioner in
Calcutta Mr. Hossain Ali, a Bengali to show his allegiance to new Independent
Government of Bangladesh with his entire
staff. He announced the formation of Bangladesh
mission in Calcutta on the 18th of April. This office became the focus of all diplomatic and other coordination activities during the entire 9 months of liberation war. This was the first diplomatic
mission of Bangladesh in a foreign land.
This also paved the way for various
governments in the world
such as the UK, Australia, Russia and even USA
to measure the real degree of inhuman torture meted out by the Pakistani beasts and thus take resolutions of
condemnation against Pakistanis. They also,
on the same vane extended support for the Bengali fighters. Even United
Nations showed some overtures to stop the
genocidal activities of the Pakistani
Junta. On the assumptions of governance, the command structure of Muktibahini and the fighting
troops was possible to be reorganized into a cohesive
force capable of effective fight and destruction
of the enemy. As a matter of fact, on the very day the government was ushered in, Col. Osmany MNA was
introduced as the Commander in Chief and Mr.
Nurul Kader Khan was introduced as the establishment secretary by the PM
himself from the same dais where the
oath taking ceremony took place a few
moments back. This sowed the seed of a real government with military
might. The entire governmental effort to
organize the army saw the coming into
being of 11 sectors, sub-sectors, creation of several forces such as S-force, K-force and Zforce, all in its bid to bring the entire fighting
force under the single command of the government. At the same time, the political leadership, liaising with Indian army under its Eastern Command at Fort William,
Calcutta, had now the structure to set up coordination
at all levels between Bangladesh and Indian Commands. Thus it was
possible to lay the foundation of a
Mitrabahini (allied force) with Bangladesh
army and Indian army fighting side by side to quell the
bloody thirst of the Pakistani blood suckers.
By virtue of this
installation and oath taking openly, the govt. in exile got itself rooted on a firm solid foundation, a fighting arm and all other
implications entailed in a legitimate administration of a new independent
state.
By this single act
we, the fighting forces, so far without any citizenship and, passports floating as non-entities
virtually rudderless and disorganized, got a legitimate umbrella of protection and
a future dead or alive.
Last but not the least, government of
India under the leadership of Mrs. Gandhi,
realized that the provisional government in exile was a democratic government, political, and had full sway over its territory as well as its fighting forces. They
could be relied upon as a state. This
was very important development for Mrs. Gandhi and the government
of India because so far all that de-facto
support given did not have any legal
authority. But now India was ready and capable of extending all out
support to a fighting government fully
backed by its people. Hitherto secret and demi official activities could
now become official for the benefit of the
world community.
At a personal level
I was delighted beyond all proportions when I saw a full cover page profile of myself printed in
the Indian illustrated weekly on the 18th of April issue. The caption said, "A youthful soldier giving guard of honor to the
government of Bangladesh in exile." It
was the picture of the guard of honor taken on the 17th of April at
Boiddanathtola, albeit, Mujibnagar. The
picture contained the heads of at least 7 members on the front line
including the policemen in helmets. Similar
pictures and stories were printed or
broadcast by print and electronic media
all over the world. And thus unwittingly I became a part of history not
to be erased as long as Bangladesh exists.
This remains an act of great heroism
for the police as a force because at least five Of its illustrious members
including myself became a part of un-erasable history of our freedom
struggle. If Rajarbagh of 25th March is the
touchstone of Bangladesh freedom struggle, Boiddanathtola, albeit
Mujibnagar, is the epitome of Bengali police mens' continuity of sacrifices in the face of extreme uncertainty.
The Liberation War
Memorial at Mujibnagar has tributed the first guard of honor in Bangladesh in various modes. The
most significant of which is the life size sculptural replica of the salutation picture. The main museum hall
there also has a wall size version
of the same picture. It was published in many newspapers/periodicals in
India and around the world following April
17. With this event I became a part of our most glorious history. At
that young age I hardly realized the gravity, risk or history associated with
it Before I conclude I like to draw a parallel between Rajarbagh of 25th night
and Mujibnagar of 17th April. On 25th night Rajarbagh
sparked off the war of resistance, the first
part of war of liberation and the radio message sent through its base
station spread the armed resistance to the
nook and corner of Bangladesh. Civilians of all ranks and file joined
the armed resistance spontaneously and it
spread like wild fire and engulfed the whole Pakistan army into
veritable flame and death.]
Government in exile
gave the much coveted government
to a stateless people and gave the nascent independent government the ability
to reorganize a disorganized Bangladesh Muktibahini into a united cohesive force to destroy the Pakistani military
might. In both the events Police as a
force played a very important role and
imprinted themselves into history not to be erased from the face of the
earth.
Writer
Famous Freedom Fighter,
Organizer of Liberation War & Columnist
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