The Dawn of the Liberation War: Chittagong By, Mosharraf Hossain

The Liberation War of Bangladesh is a memorable event in our National existence as Bengali.  Many years of repression, misrule and neglect by Pakistan slowly fueled the fire of revolution in Bengali’s heart.   The events of the language movement of ’52, six point movement of ’66, national uprising of ’68 and ultimately the national election of ’70 sowed the seed of revolution for independence in the hearts of Bengalis.  The revolution finally ended in a triumphant victory earned in the liberation war of ’71.   

Father of the Nation and the greatest Bengali of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman realized how it would be impossible to win against the Pakistanis and raise Bengalis head up without an armed-revolution.  Only through a victorious independence war we could respond to the tyranny, autocracy and oppression of Pakistan.  And hence Bangabandhu endeavored in raising the Bengali consciousness towards a targeted victory on this front from time to time through intense scheduling of revolutionary movements at the pre-independence-war period, the truthful reflection of which occurred on 7th March, 1971, on the ‘race-course arena’ in Dhaka from the downright and distinguished speech of his delivered towards the nation’s people.

The speech triggered these people, who awaited victory against the Pakistani forces for such lengths, towards revitalization on the aspects of independence for the nation. The leader acclaimed overhaul of ‘sangram parishad’ to be established throughout under the leadership of Awami-League through this discourse.  Besides the other zillas of the country, Chittagong also finds establishment of its own sangram parishad under similar domain from the League.   Thus all agitation and movement for independence was directed under the leadership of sagnram parishads from 7th of March onwards. 

From Bangabandhu’s speech on 7th of March, I felt that only way towards an independent nation had to be through an armed revolution against the forces.  Hence, the idea of destroying the bridge at Subhopur, the only land-road connectivity between Dhaka and Chittagong, came to me.  I figured if the bridge was destroyed, without any persisting road connectivity with Dhaka, Chittagong might act as an individual sector of war and thus it would be possible to direct the operations of war from that sector, keeping Chittagong free from the tyrant Pakistani forces.  On 17th of March, I went to see Bangabandhu at his Dhanmondi residence with Jaan-e-Alam Dobhas, to inform my plans to destroy the bridge.  Bangabandhu applauded my plan and said “Bravo!” while patting on my chest and ordered me to arrange necessary ammunition  and explosives for the job, and asked me to leave half of the explosives in Dhaka and take the remaining with me to blow off the bridge. 

Dobhash returned to Chittagong the very same day, and I went off to Sylhet in search for explosives. I contacted some of my colleagues in Mining Engineering in Sylhet Chatak Cement Factory to see if any explosives can be arranged.  As they were unable to provide me with detonators I had to come back. On my way back from Sylhet, I paid a visit to another friend, Engineer Jamal Uddin at Bangladesh Gas Fields.  There also I failed to attain required explosives and left for Chittagong empty handed on the 21st of March. Meanwhile, the news of arrival of an artillery war-ship of the Pakistani forces, ‘Sowaat’, at the port panicked the people of Chittagong, who literally exploded in grief and agitation.  From 23rd of March, along with popular leader, late M.A. Hannan and other local labor leaders, I started creating a resistance to the disposal of arms and ammunition from ‘Sowaat’, and on this very day the local  sangram parishad received the news of the onset of an incoming brigade of Pakistani soldiers from Comilla. The Chittagong sangram parishad imparted the responsibility on me to deploy resistance against these incoming forces and to destroy the Shubhopur Bridge.

There was an overcast of dreadful suspense from the morning of the 25th of March.   Rebellion was radiating from peoples eyes and faces.  On that day, 26 truck-loads of Pakistani forces and soldiers started out from Comilla, destination Chittagong.  Seeing no other alternatives, at around 5 in the evening on that day along with my comrades, I prepared to set fire directly onto the Shubhopur Bridge. It should be mentioned that other than the railways, this bridge was the only land communication that linked Chittagong with Dhaka.

Reaching the bridge, we saw Pak-forces already deployed guards on both sides of the bridge, we disarmed the guards, and immediately poured bitumen and kerosene on the wooden deck placed on steel frame of the bridge and set it on fire.  This at least ensured that no heavy trucks and artilleries could pass through the bridge.  Due to lack of explosives the bridge could not be destroyed completely. 

Upon hearing the news of military convoy heading for Chittagong, thousands of people of Sitakunda & Mirsharay by the road-side of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, created barricade on the highway using woods, stones, trees and broken branches.  Meanwhile, I started to convey the message of incoming troops to whoever I came across on my way back.  Hearing this message thousands of agitated locals came forward to help build a better barrier on the highway.  At that time no other cars were seen present on the DT road other than the one I had with me. All I could see were thousand and thousands of people on the road. These sleepless people only exhibited indomitable desire to resist the onslaught of the Pakistani troops.  With absolute determination they projected out their notion towards sacrifice and devotion, their solidarity.  On my directions, people enthusiastically started to build various types of blockades on the road.  Like this I traveled a long distance from the Shubhapur Bridge and finally reached Bortakia at around 12 midnight.  First news that greeted me there, conveyed by the by standing rail station master, was that BangaBandhu has sent in the declaration of independence through the wireless communication.  The station master heard the message from the wireless device at the station. The man also informed me of the mass killing that took place at Dhaka Rajarbag, Pilkhana, and surrounding places.  Meanwhile, around 12:30 am, while the sangram parishad meeting was being held, an officer from the Salimpur wireless station came forth, who brought in the news of the declaration of independence from the leader himself addressed upon Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury, at whose residence the meeting was being held. Later the members of the parishad printed the message from cyclostyled and distributed it to the entire city from the zilla Awami League office located at Hazari lane Binoda Bhavan.

Around 4 in the morning I came to Fouzderhat and saw that some Bengali soldiers were escaping from the Military Cantonment. Later, I came to know how the Pak troops had opened fire at these sleeping Bengali soldiers right inside the cantonment, killing amass. Perhaps, there was no more living Bengali soldier at the cantonment at that time. Then I climbed across Pahartali barricade and ended up at the residence of the MP Ishak Miah at Agrabaad.  It was just crack of dawn by that time.  I saw many youngsters getting themselves together at Ishak Miahs residence, armed with all types of guns and ammunitions.

I returned to my residence at 9am on 26th of March.  After resting for a while I went to Awami League office at 12 noon, where I met with M.A. Hannan, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaisar, Shahjahan Chowdhury and others.  M.A. Hannan showed us the declaration of independence from Bangobandhu, while I went on describing them what had happened the night before. 

We decided on announce this news of declaration of independence immediately to the mass through the radio, thinking how this would inspire the people to engage in the revolution against Pak troops with confidence & courage.    Without further delay, I hopped on to the jeep with MA Hannan, Ataur Rahmank Kaisar, Shahjahan Chowdhury and Rakhal Chandra Banik and rushed towards the Agrabaad radio station, where we came to know that radio transmission can only take place from the Kalurghat Radio station.  Immediately we rushed towards the Kalurghat Radio Station with the Jeep. On the way we picked up a radio technician who was in charge of Boddarhat Radio Station.  Reaching the Kalurghat Radio Station, we saw some Bengali EPR soldiers and Ansar members were guarding the station.  Without any resistance we entered the station and made a draft of the message of the declaration of the independence. Around 1:30 pm the station got started, and student leader Rakhal Chandra Banik made a declaration on radio towards the mass that within a few moments, on behalf of BangaBandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Chittagong zilla general secretary of Awami League was going to announce the declaration of independence. As Banik announced the upcoming transmission of declaration of independence three times, MA Hannan announced on the radio that BangaBandhu has declared independence for the nation, and had anticipated that the nation would go right against the Pak troops, to resist them, with whatever they might find at hand.  M.A. Hannan also declared that the leader is well alive, and that he is appealing to the nation on behalf of Bangabandhu to put their life on the line and to stand by the leader on attaining a victorious independence for the nation through an independence war. This was announced and transmitted about two to three times. Meanwhile, the telephone set started ringing at the station, and I picked up the receiver.  A Pak-Soldier from the other side warned me: “we are coming towards your radio station.”  I answered with utmost courage “we are also prepared to confront you”.  After waiting a while at the station, we advised the EPR soldiers to stay alert and on guard, and left the station. 

Right after the declaration of independence being transmitted, we took control of the entire city except the port area and cantonment, and a heavy rain of firing started all over the place. The enemy at gates became more vigilant, and by the evening the city took more of an ugly and dreadful turn, while the entire locality started a frightful panic. Shells started landing at different sites of the city from Pak war-ships berthed at the port, while the red lights from the shells frightened the city further into a darkness of their unseen and supposedly unsecured future. Meanwhile, arrival of the 26 truck loads of Pak troops from Comilla fell far behind schedule, due to fire we set at Subhopur Bridge.  If we hadn’t set fire in the bridge on the right time and if the people of Mirsharai and Shitakundo didn’t put barricade on the highway, the Pak Troops would have already reached Chittagong within a short period in the morning of 25th of March and would have joined with the Pak Troops in Cantonment and Pak Navy forces, and a whole lot more of devastation would have been experienced by the city and its dwellers.

Meanwhile, Captain Rafique along with his EPR soldiers took position at Kumira, Tigerpass, and at the railway mountain tracks so that the enemy troops may face a good height of resistance on entering the zilla in order to cut off any connection between these incoming brigades and the Pak Navy at the port. On the 25th of March, at around 11 at night, from Sholoshahar at the outskirts of the cantonment, Major Zia of the 8th regiment, had gone forth to retrieve delivery of all the ammo brought forth by Sowaat Steamer.  As major Zia left, Captain Khalekuzzaman from the 8th regiment heard of the declaration of independence, and came out to search for Major Zia to retrieve him back.  Due to the presence of all the road barriers on the highway, Major Zia took his time to clear his way out, and thus, Captain Khalekuzzaman could make it up to catch Major Zia at the Agrabaad area and let him know of the declaration of independence being announced from BangaBandhu on the radio. The captain stated how if Zia had gone to the port, either he would have been shot to death, or would have been forced to work under heavy influence of the enemy. Thus Major Zia returned to the 8th Bengal regiment without progressing towards the port. Majority of the soldiers at the 8th regiment were Bengalis, and after taking down the few of the Pakistani soldiers at the regiment, Major Zia took position at the Boalkhali Koraldenga hill crossing the Kalurghat Bridge, along with a handful of his 300 soldiers.

On the morning of 26th March, MA Hannan, MA Mannan, Ataur Rahman Khan and some other leaders started for Kalurghat to bring in Major Zia at Chittagong, while on the road they stopped by Panchlysh police station to get positions of the Major from the officer in charge of the station. The leaders meet up with Major Zia at the Koraldanga mountains and informed him that Chittagong was free.  Declining the leaders’ request to return to Chittagong, Zia mentioned how they were very exhausted and would not make any further move without making a right strategic plan.  Thus, the leaders returned back to the city. Captan Rafique had always maintained a constant communication with the Awami League workers and leaders and he was always at guard with his EPR battalion to face the enemy at all times.  On that night if Major Zia would not have had just been a escapist and would just have been in accordance with Captain Rafique and his EPR team along with the  Mukti Bahini members, and if he would have faced the enemy in co-association with these good men, we could have attacked Chittagong cantonment with a good plan laid out, and would have taken control over the entire Chittagong cantonment, with which we could have easily made the independence of Chittagong to reality, and could have directed the independence war from Chittagong holding it as the base for the war. On the night of 26th March, we were monitoring the warfare engagement at different locations from the Ansar, EPR, and the Mukti Bahini, holding ourselves at the temporary parishad office positioned at Akhtaruzzaman Babu’s Jupitar House. On this night a tremendous warfare started between our men and the enemy. Captain Rafique, the EPR forces, the Mukti Bahini fighters, along with all other patriots from Awami League and the local population thrived into the warfare with all they had to face the enemy. The entire city was shaking with rigorous noise of shelling and bombing, while the fighting lasted till the dawn of that night. At 6 am that morning we got a call from the Captain that his ammunition had almost come to an end and it was impossible for him to hold on to the situation for any longer.

On the 27th March the Control Room for the parishad was transferred into my residence at Nandankanan. M R Siddiqui, along with Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury and MA Hannan, were also present there. On this date, per our request Major Zia returned to the city with all his soldiers, and they took position at Kalurghat and Bahaddarhat. The same day, at around 3 pm, Major Zia read out the declaration-draft of the independence of the nation on behalf of BangaBandhu from Kalurghat radio station. On 28th March afternoon, the leaders of the sangram parishad were discussing distinguished issues of the independence war, from the residence of Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser. At this time, we heard a controversial announcement on the radio from Major Zia. While we asked him of this announcement and the confusion it might create internationally and locally into the mind frames of the people fighting for the independence war.  Major Zia stated that it was a mistake on his part and he had not quite considered the political aspect of the statement made by him on the radio.  He asked us to make him a draft of what to say and he would read it likewise. As the prior announcement by him was controversial, the new draft was made in English, while M.A, Siddiqui and A.K. Khan monitored the new draft. On 28th March, I along with Major Zia and Mirja Mansur, tried to start up the radio station, but due to the absence of a technician it was not possible for us to start up the station. On the morning of 29th March, on arrival of the technician, and as soon as the radio station was up, Major Zia transmitted the following announcement, declaring, “I, Major Ziaur Rahman, declare the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of our great national leader Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujibur Rahman…Joy Bangla.” On that date this announcement on behalf of Bangabandhu was repeatedly transmitted. On the 30th of March, due to heavy shelling form the enemy line on this very radio station, the station was destroyed and it was not possible to make further transmission.

Engr. Mosharraf Hossain, MP: Sub-sector commander during the independence war; Sector-1, President: Chittagong Uttar Zilla Awami League and former Minister, People’s Republic of Bangladesh.