RANGPUR, March 6, 2023 (BSS) - When the nation was in strong noncooperation movement at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since the beginning of March, 1971, his historic speech gave clear directions for nation's independence.
Rangpur people, like the whole Bangalee nation, straightforwardly understood the plot of Pakistani President General Yahiya Khan who cancelled on March 1 the scheduled parliament sitting on March 3, 1971 and declared curfew on the day.
Bangabandhu vehemently rejected annulment of the scheduled parliament sitting and called strike on March 2 in Dhaka and March 3 in the country when Rangpur people started mobilising them to show stiff resistance to the Pakistani junta.
"The struggle for independence sparked in Rangpur when people brought out protest processions breaking curfew on March 3, 1971" said former district unit Commander of Bangladesh District Muktijoddha Sangsad (BMS) heroic freedom fighter Mosaddek Hossain Bablu.
Tens of thousands of people participated in the protest processions on the city streets as part of noncooperation movement against the Pakistani regime on March 3 when the Bangalee nation already set its only target of achieving independence.
"The decisive struggles factually began in Rangpur from March 3, 1971 when schoolboy Sangku Samajhder embraced martyrdom as non-Bengali Behari Sarforaz Khan opened gunfire on him in the Alamnagar area during protest processions at 9:30 am," he said.
Rangpur turned volatile through sacrificing Sangku along with two of its other brave sons on March 3 when the situation went beyond control of the Pakistani regime forcing them to declare curfew from March 3 to March 5 in the city.
"At such a volatile moment, the historic speech delivered by Bangabandhu on March 7, 1971 at the then Race Course Maidan gave the Bengali nation a concrete direction for achieving independence through the War of Liberation," Bablu said.
Bablu, also incumbent Chairman of Rangpur District Council, said Rangpur unit convener of Chhatra Sangram Parishad Rafikul Islam Golap received the flag of Swadhin Bangla and manifesto of independence from central leaders at Dhaka on March 17, 1971.
The strong movement for independence soon took an irretrievable shape with participation of common people en-masse when Rafikul Islam Golap hoisted the flag of Swadhin Bangla at the residence of the then Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur here on March 23.
"Concurrently, Chhatra League leader Elias Ahmed hoisted the flag of Swadhin Bangla at the Deputy Commissioner's Office as the situation in Rangpur city was going under control of the independence-seeker Bangalees in Rangpur city," Bablu said.
On March 24, one Sahed Ali, a butcher by profession, suddenly snatched away an LMG from a Pakistani soldier in the Nisbetganj area and instantly hit Pakistani Lieutenant Abbas when they were standing by the side of a jeep there.
"Seriously injured Lieutenant Abbas succumbed in the hospital at night on the day. It was the first successful assault of the heroic Rangpur people on the Pakistani occupation forces," Bablu added.
On March 28 in 1971, just after three days of March 25 crackdown by Pakistani army on innocent Bangalees at Dhaka, over 30,000 of people demonstrated unique heroism while attacking Rangpur cantonment with indigenous weapons attempting to capture it.
Former district unit Deputy Commander of BMS Md Matiar Rahman said around 600 heroic sons belonging to the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Oraon and Santal communities embraced martyrdoms in the attempt on the way to achieve final independence.
Getting clear directions from Bangabandhu through his historic March 7 speech, Rangpur people started offering rigid resistance to the occupation forces and fighting bravely since March 7 on the way to achieve the ultimate independence.
"The heroic fighters became unconquerable from early December when the Indian Mitra Bahini joined them and the Bangalee nation finally achieved the ultimate independence through winning the War of Liberation on December 16, 1971," Rahman said.
