RANGPUR, Apr, 03, 2019 (BSS) – The Pakistani occupation army began
planned genocide of intellectuals by killing best sons of Rangpur on April 3,
1971 in Dakhiganj area of the city further igniting the War of Liberation for
independence.
Former district unit Commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad (BMS)
Mosaddek Hossain Bablu said the Pakistani demons with Razakars, Al-Badars,
Al-Shams and Beharis caught 11 brilliant sons of Rangpur from their houses on
March 27, 1971.
“The occupation forces with their local non-Bengali Behari collaborators
forcibly took them to Rangpur cantonment and conducted barbaric physical
torture causing unbearable pains to them,” he said.
Later at night on April 3, 1971, the Pakistani blood-hungry soldiers and
their local collaborators took them to Dakhiganj Shwashan (crematory)
Baddhyabhumi here and gunned them down.
“Luckily, one of them, Awami League leader Dr. Dinesh Chandra Bhowmick
alias Mantu Daktar, who received eight bullets, escaped the horror,” Bablu
said quoting his talks with Mantu Daktar in 1971.
Mantu Daktar was taken to India where he joined the ‘Mukti Bahini’ after
getting treatments and fought to liberate the country by killing many enemy
soldiers in the war fronts.
The 10 martyred intellectuals are: Advocate Mahfuz Ali Zorjes, Khitish
Halder, Ehsanul Haque Dulal, Rafiqul Islam Rafique, Dhirendranath Shanti
Chaki, Durga Das Adhikari, Gopal Chandra, Tofazzal Hossain Moharram, Uttam
Kumar Adhikari and Pagla Darbesh.
Talking to BSS, former Rangpur city unit Commander of BMS Sadrul Alam
Dulu said the occupation forces killed the ten intellectuals of Rangpur here
at night on April 3, 1971 to make Rangpur talentless and foil the War of
Liberation.
“Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with huge hatred
rejected cancellation of the scheduled parliament session and called strike
on March 2 in Dhaka and March 3 throughout the country.
The people of Rangpur literally started the War for Liberation from
March 3, 1971 after becoming extremely angry when hatred Yahiya Khan
cancelled the March 1 scheduled parliament sitting on March 3 and declared
curfew on the day.
As per call of Bangabandhu, the whole nation was in unprecedented non-
cooperation movement against the Pakistani regime that declared curfew in the
then East Pakistan on March 3, 1971.
“On March 3, 1971, thousands of people irrespective of caste, creed and
religion brought out huge protest processions from Katchari Bazar point
breaking curfew in Rangpur city as elsewhere in the country,” Dulu added.
Non-Bengali Behari Sarforaz Khan shot dead heroic boy Sangku Samajhder,
12, of Rangpur on March 3, 1971 while Sangku was taking part in the massive
non-cooperation movement rally in the city.
The supreme sacrifice of school student Sangku triggered mass anger
among the Rangpur people uniting them to snatch away Independence from the
Pakistani occupiers.
Being organised, about 30,000 Bangalees’ attempted to capture Rangpur
Cantonment on March 28, 1971 when over 400 of them were gunned down by the
Pakistani occupation forces further sparkling the War of Liberation.
“Under such circumstances, killing of the ten intellectuals of Rangpur
on April 3 by the occupation army ignited sleeping heroism in every Bangalee
inspiring them to join the ‘Mukti Bahini’ en-masse,” Dulu added.
‘Muktijoddha Smriti Sangrakkhan Parishad’ has been observing the
‘Dakhiganj Shwashan Baddhyabhumi Dibash’, martyrdom day of 10 intellectuals,
here every year on April 3 to pay rich tribute to the heroic sons of the
soil.
‘Dakhiganj Baddhyabhumi Smriti Rakhshsya Committee’ and ‘Muktijuddher
Smriti Sangrakhshan Parishad will observe the “Dakhiganj Baddhyabhumi Dibash”
through various programmes to pay rich tribute to the martyred intellectuals
in the afternoon today.