Bangladesh will never forget the genocide

Arindam Sarkar

It was “genocide” of unimaginable proportion since World War II. This is how the people of Bangladesh describe their darkest nine-months on the eve of the 40^th anniversary of Mukti Juddho that created a new nation on December 16, 1971.

The Mukti Joddhas (Freedom Fighters) still can’t get over the bloody saga. They point out, what happened in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) is unparallel in contemporary times. Kashmir, Bosnia, Kosovo or Cambodia did not witness such atrocities on civilians.

“More than three million were killed, two lakh women were raped and ten million people migrated in nine months. It was a catastrophe perpetrated by West Pakistan on the people of East Pakistan,” said Mukti Joddha of Sector 2, who was in-charge of Dhaka, and eminent filmmaker Nasiruddin Yousouf.

Looking back, the Mukti Joddhas say, it was the night of March 25, 1971, when the bloodiest genocide by an invading army on civilians began. At 11.45 pm, Pakistan Army began Operation Search Light under Lt General Tikka Khan. Operation Search Light continued till March 27 leaving behind a trail of blood and destruction in Dhaka.

Men were killed, women raped and children maimed. Pakistan Army chief General AAK Niazi recorded that his force had killed 50,000 people. “This is his version. We believe more than a lakh were killed in this nightmarish genocide,” said Sector 4 decorated Mukti Joddha Col Sajjad.

Mukti Joddhas said Pakistan violated all rules of Geneva Convention and massacred people. Bangladesh laments that Pakistan even did not spare the intellectuals. And such intellectual luminaries as Muzzaffal Haider Chowdhury, Munir Chowdhury, Celina Pervez, GC Deb, Shirajuddin Hussain, Saidullah Qasar, Altaf Mehmood and others were killed in a cold-blooded manner.

Mukti Juddho, say the freedom fighters, was a people’s war fought against the Pakistan Army with the help of the Indian Army. The Mukti Bahini guerrillas were mainly involved in skirmishes, ambushes, destruction of supply line, convoys and in capturing of major installations occupied by the Pakistan army.

“Apart from our guerrillas our air force that comprised nine pilots flew a Dakota, Aleutte chopper and Otter aircraft fitted with rockets and machine guns to attack the Pakistan Army. India provided aircrafts and the IAF Gnats, MiG-21s and Hunters gave covering fire during operations,” said the decorated Mukti Juddho pilot Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed.

“Pakistan flew the Sabre Jets. December 3, we bombed the fuel tank at Narayanganj. By December 6, we had destroyed the Pakistan Air Force base and logistics in Dhaka,” added Captain Shahabuddin Ahmed.

Operation search Light was the turning point of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. On March 25 night, young boys like Khaled Mosharraf, Nasiruddin Yousuf, Qazi Nuruzzaman, Kader Siddiqui, Col Sajjad, Shahadar Chowdhury, Major Arifin and Major Manzoor, Akram and Shahbab took up arms and to become Mukti Joddhas.

On March 26, Banga Bandhu declared the Independence of Bangladesh. Between April 10 and April 17, the Awami League set up the Provisional Government of Bangladesh at Mujib Nagar in Meherpur near Palassey, with Tajuddin Ahmed as Prime Minister and Syed Nazrul slam as President.

“Mukti Joddhas were 100 per cent loyal to the Provisional Government of Bangladesh. To my estimation, the 1971 Mujib Nagar Government was the most successful government we have had in last 40 years,” claimed Nasiruddin Yousuf.

But the provisional government, the formation of Mukti Bahini in 11 sectors and under three Brigades could not prevent further genocide in the country. One March 3, 1971, nearly 6,000 people were shot dead at Syedpur near Rongpur and on April 10, 1971, Pakistan Army killed 8,000 people.

On July 1971, at Chukhnagar, located between Jessore and Khulna, more than 10,000 people were killed by Pakistan Army in less than five hours. “I am doing the documentation of the genocide committed in 1971. But it is impossible to get correct figures. Lakhs could be missing. Many have not found graves or the graves lie unidentified,” said Col Sajjad.

But even such genocide and atrocities by the Pakistan Army could not snap the spirit of the Mukti Joddhas fighting for independence. Between March and December, they fought war after war, along and with the Indian Army, against the Pakistan force in different parts of Bangladesh. The first skirmish was on March 28 at Kamalpur. Thousands of villagers became fodder for Pakistan Tank Battalion and the Ghagar River turned red with the blood of the innocents.

On October 23, Mukti Joddhas blew up the transmission center of the PTV in Dhaka. And then used car bomb to blow up a convoy at Zero Point, the Baitul Mukarrukam, which is the busy market area in the capital. “The Mukti Joddhas were between 17 to 25 years. I was 20 then. We used PK2 explosives, 303 rifles, Indian Sten guns, SLR rifles and LMG. And the Chinese rifles captured from Pakistan for operations,” said Nasiruddin Yousouf.

Post-March 1971, Mukti Joddha Col Qazi Nuruzzaman says the Mukti Bahini soldiers went in batches to get training from the Indian Army in weaponry and guerrilla warfare. After September 1971, along with the Indian Army, the Mukti Joddhas launched major assaults against Pakistan Army.

“Most significant wars were those of Jessore, Dholai, Sylhet, Mukundapur, Bakshiganj, Akhaura, Jamalpur, Hilli, Tangail and of course Savar. Our victories here with the Indian Army resulted in the liberation of the country,” said Col Sajjad

    

It is the Battle of Savar on December 13 in the outskirts of Dhaka that sealed the fate of Pakistan Army for good. Pakistan Army was holding on to Dhaka, as they wanted to use the local populace as human shield. With Dhaka in their hands, Pak Army now tried to force their way outside the city, but Mukti Joddhas challenged them.

“It was a bloody war. We defeated them at the end of the day. We lost six and they lost 248 men. With Indian Army and one lakh people we surrounded Dhaka. On December 14 and December 15, we patiently waited as General Nagra told us not to enter Dhaka,” recollected Nasiruddin Yousouf. “We heard the speeches of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and General Sam Manekshaw in radio.”

On December 16 evening, Lt Gen AAK Niazi surrendered to Lt Gen JS Arora at the Race Course Grounds and Bangladesh was born. It was also curtains for the worst kind of genocide witnessed in the recent times.

On the 40^th anniversary, the feelings are mixed among the Mukti Joddhas, who fought for independence. They are aggrieved that even today the War Criminals are going scot-free in the country and no government has booked them. They are aggrieved that they fought for a secular, progressive, democratic country, but religion has seeped into politics and tarnished the fabric of society and polity.

“By War Criminals, we mean those who were involved in killing the innocents. Those who waged a war against the State (Razakars) during the Liberation War by siding with the enemy; those who repressed women, violated human rights and set properties on fire; and those who did merciless ethnic-cleansing by killing the innocent Hindus,” said Mukti Joddha and eminent filmmaker Shahriar Kabir,  who is documenting the activities and brutalities of the War Criminals.

Banga Bandhu Mujibur Rahman after taking office in 1971 had listed 50,000 War Criminals. After Gen Zia-ur-Rahman came to power, this figure was brought down to 11,000. “Victory Day on December 16, 1971, is a day of glory. But it is also a day of frustration. We gave our blood for a better future. We are still dreaming of that day,” said Nasiruddin Yousouf.

Bangladesh, especially Dhaka, celebrates with much fanfare the Victory Day. This year, on 40^th anniversary, a series of cultural, social and intellectual activities are lined up in 13 places in Dhaka alone. But Dhaka is yet to get over March 25, 1971 – the night they lost their innocence and virginity.