BSS-33 CR Dutta’s body to reach home tomorrow, cremation Tuesday

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BSS-33

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CR Dutta’s body to reach home tomorrow, cremation Tuesday

DHAKA, Aug 30, 2020 (BSS) – The body of Chitta Ranjan Dutta, Bir Uttam, widely known as CR Dutta, commander of sector number four during the Liberation War, is scheduled to reach Dhaka tomorrow (Monday) morning from the USA where he passed away on August 25 at the age of 93.

His coffin will reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) here around 8:40 am tomorrow (Monday), Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta told BSS tonight.

An Emirates Airlines flight left for Dubai from Florida, USA with Dutta’s coffin at 6 pm (local time) on Saturday while his Canada expatriate daughter Chayanika Dutta and her husband Rony Prantice will accompany his body back to Bangladesh from Dubai, said a press release of the unit council singed by its joint general secretary Manindra Kumar Nath here today.

The war hero’s US expatriate eldest daughter Mahua Dutta, son Chiranjeeb Dutta and youngest daughter Kabita Dasgupta have left New York for Dhaka on a Qatar Airlines flight on Saturday night to join the funerals. They are scheduled to reach Dhaka at around 2:10am tomorrow.

From the airport, Dutta’s coffin will be kept at Dhaka Combined Military Hospital (CMH) mortuary. On the next day (Tuesday), his body will be taken to his residence on Banani DOHS road number 2 at 7:30 am.

Later, his coffin will be taken to Dhakeshwari National Temple premises for two hours to allow the people of all strata to pay their last tributes to the celebrated son of the soil. State honor will be given to him on the occasion.
His body will be taken to Rajarbagh Baredshwari crematorium at around 11am. As part of military honor, gun salutes will be accorded to him before his cremation there.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, it will not be possible to take the body of 1971 Liberation War hero to the Central Shaheed Minar and his village home in Habigaj district, said the release.

A 1001-member national citizens’ committee was formed with Major General (retd) KM Shafiullah, one of the sector commanders during the Liberation War, as convener and journalist Shahriar Kabir as member-secretary to pay last tributes to Bir Uttam CR Dutta in proper manner.

CR Dutta, Bir Uttam, passed away at a Florida hospital in the USA at around 9 am (Bangladesh time) on August 25 (Tuesday) at the age of 93.

Earlier on August 20, Dutta fell in the bathroom and broke his leg. He was admitted to a hospital in Florida, the USA after his condition deteriorated.

Dutta had also been suffering from various incurable diseases.

Bir Uttam CR Dutta was the founder Director General of the then Bangladesh Rifles, which is now called Border Guard Bangladesh, former Chairman of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Welfare Trust and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and founder President of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.

Dutta was born on 1 January 1927 in Shillong, Assam. His ancestral home is in Mirashi village of Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj.

He joined the Pakistan Army in 1951 and a few days later, he was commissioned as ‘second lieutenant’.

The then Pakistan government rewarded him for his courageous contribution to the 1965 Indo-Pak war, the first battle of his military life.

In 1971, Colonel MAG Osmani, the commander-in-chief of the Liberation War, appointed Dutta as the commander of Sector 4.

He made important contributions after being appointed as Brigade Commander in Rangpur in 1972.

In 1973, the government felt the need to form a border guard force for independent Bangladesh and gave the responsibility to him in this regard.

He later formed a border guard force and it was named Bangladesh Rifles. At present, the name of this force is Border Guard Bangladesh.

He was awarded the title of Bir Uttam for his valiant contribution to the great Liberation War.

The city road from Katabon to Karwan Bazar Signal was named after ‘Bir Uttam CR Dutta’.

BSS/PR/BKD/MKD/RY/21:08hrs