While the armed freedom fighters fought valiantly on the battlefield during the 1971 war, a quieter yet equally crucial battle was being waged on the medical front.
From the first week of December 1971, freedom was already in the air. Pakistan was losing ground across Bangladesh to the joint forces, composed of the Mukti Bahini and the allied Indian forces. One by one, different regions were being liberated from the occupation forces.
The floating guava markets in the southern districts of Jhalakathi, Barishal and Pirojpur are so picturesque that they have in recent years started drawing tourists, along with the traders.
The remote village of Jangaliagati in Kamarkhanda upazila, Sirajganj, was the birthplace of the Palashdanga Jubo Shibir (Palashdanga Youth Camp) -- a regional force that defied all odds and persevered, significantly contributing to the liberation struggle of 1971.
The Aftab Bahini, led by Aftab Ali, a subedar in the 3rd East Bengal Regiment, was a formidable regional force that operated along the Brahmaputra and Teesta rivers during the 1971 war.
One of the largest training camps for freedom fighters during the Liberation War was set up in Shibbari of Gangarampur in West Bengal by George JM Das, a retired Bangalee soldier of the East Pakistan Rifles (EPR).
Ahmad Istiak.Through a combination of well-executed tactics, bravery on the battlefield, and overall masterful guerrilla warfare, a local resistance group shaped the outcome of the war in the Cumilla region..The Pathaan Bahini, led by Zahirul Haque Pathaan, a Bangalee subedar in the
Through swift mobilisation, strategic brilliance, and devastating attacks against the Pakistani army, the Halim Bahini of Manikganj distinguished itself as one of the most effective regional forces that fought in the Liberation War.
Since its inception in 2001, the Liberation War affairs ministry has taken up two projects to identify and preserve killing fields in different parts of Bangladesh, but both initiatives have been marred by irregularities and slow pace.
“Every night, the Pakistan army and their Bihari collaborators would bring truckloads of people on that bridge,”
At a time when he should have been going to school and growing up with all the happiness and blessings life has to offer, Sajjad ended up experiencing the other end of the spectrum.
Martyred guerrilla of the Liberation War, Syed Hafizur Rahman, has finally been recognised as a freedom fighter after his family’s appeals were rejected nine times.
On June 9, 1971, six guerilla freedom fighters were on the way to the Intercontinental Hotel (InterContinental Dacca) in a hijacked Datsun 1000 car around 6:30pm. Shahidullah Khan Badol was driving, while Kamrul Huq Shopon and Masud Sadek Chullu, Habibul Alam, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, and Ziauddin Ali Ahmed were carrying three hand grenades each.
Sakib, an 11-year-old homeless child in Dhaka’s Farmgate area, calls the sidewalks his home. Begging for food and money for his grandmother, he sleeps adjacent to Ananda cinema hall every night.
Despite repeated concerns from experts, child drowning still remains a major concern in Bangladesh, with over 7.9 percent of children aged under five drowning annually in rural areas of the country.
It was around 11:00am on May 20, 1971.
“This is Mohammadpur, get off,” a child yelled out to the passengers of a leguna, otherwise known as human hauliers, which had reached the area as early as 7:00am.
“Pakistani soldiers broke into our house through the backyard. Sensing their presence, three of my nephews gathered in one room. Another managed to flee. The soldiers entered our house firing indiscriminately killing the 3 helpless boys. They fell on the floor just like logs. …
