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Abu Osman Chowdhury laid to rest with state honor
DHAKA, Sept 5, 2020 (BSS) – Lt. Col. (retd) Abu Osman Chowdhury,
commander of sector-8 during the 1971 Liberation War, was laid to
eternal rest after Asr prayers with full state honor at Banani
Military Graveyard here.
Earlier, the Liberation War hero’s namaz-e-janaza was held at
central mosque beside Senakunjo at the Dhaka cantonment.
He breathed his last around 7:45am today while undergoing treatment
at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) here at the age of 85, his
daughter Nasima Tariq told BSS.
Chowdhury was suffering from various old-age ailments for the last
few months. On August 30, he was admitted to the CMH as his condition
deteriorated and later he was tested positive for novel coronavirus
(Covid-19), Sector Commanders’ Forum Secretary General and journalist
Harun Habib said.
The war veteran is survived by his two daughters and grandchildren.
President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in
separate condolence messages, expressed deep shock and sorrow at the
death of Abu Osman Chowdhury.
Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Road
Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League (AL) General Secretary
Obaidul Quader and Information Minister and AL Joint General Secretary
Dr Hasan Mahmud also mourned his death in separate condolence
messages.
Abu Osman Chowdhury, vice-chairman of Sector Commanders’ Forum
(SCF), was born at Madanergaon village under Faridganj upazila in
Chandpur district on January 1, 1936.
In 1971, Chowdhury was posted in Chuadanga, under Kushtia district
as a Major of the Pakistan army and the Commander of 4th Wing East
Pakistan Rifles (EPR), according to Wikipedia.
He left for Kushtia with his family on March 23, 1971 to attend an
official meeting. He was staying at Kushtia Circuit House on the night
of March 25-26 when the news of Operation Searchlight reached him.
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Sensing imminent danger, he left Kushtia on early morning of March
26, 1971 and headed to Chuadanga via Jhenaidah while local political
workers have already revolted. Later, Bengali soldiers raised the flag
of Bangladesh at EPR 4th Wing Headquarters in Chuadanga.
Later, the 4th wing of EPR, led by Major Abu Osman Chowdhury and
reinforced with Police and Ansar personnel and local youth, attacked
27 Baluch of Pakistan Army stationed at Kushtia and eliminated almost
2 companies.
In the first sector commander’s conference in July, Major Abu Osman
Chowdhury was appointed as the commander of the western sector, which
comprised Kushtia, Jashore, areas of Faridpur, including
Daulatpur-Satkhira Road encompassed within Khulna.
It was past noon of March 26 when Major Abu Osman Chowdhury reached
his Wing headquarters at Chuadanga. There, his NCOs briefed him of the
overall situation including formal organisation of local resistance in
the wake of the crackdown at Dhaka.
In the meantime local Awami League leader Dr Ashab Ul Haq, who had
earlier declared war against the occupational Pakistan armed forces
the same morning at a public meeting, had contacted him over telephone
and invited him to an emergency meeting with the public leaders and
representatives of the local administration.
At the meeting, Major Osman was asked to take charge of the armed
resistance force that he accepted at once.
After a long discussion, the first ever war command of Bangladesh,
named South Western Command, was formed on March 26, 1971 in
Chuadanga.
While Major Osman was given the position of the Commander, Dr Ashab
Ul Haq, MPA became the Chief Advisor and Barrister Abu Ahmed Afzalur
Rashid alias Badal Rashid, MNA, and Advocate Yunus Ali, MPA, were made
Deputy Chief Advisors.
The whole of western region of the Padma was taken under the command
comprising that of Kushtia, Faridpur, Jashore, Khulna districts.
All the armed personnel from defence, EPR, Police, Ansar, Mujahid
and armed student wing of the area were vested under the Command.
The newly built District Council Dak Bungalow was made the Command
Headquarters.
The next day on March 27 at about noon the Pakistani flag, last
flying one at the EPR Wing headquarters was ceremoniously lowered and
the Bangladesh flag was hoisted at the flag post by Major Osman.
Captain A R Azam Chowdhury, his deputy, was there who afterwards
played valiant role under the Command. Major Osman held the position
till division of Bangladesh war commands into 11 Sectors by the
Provisional Government on 11 July 1971.
The South Western Command was then renamed Sector-8 with some
revision of the command area and Major Osman continued to hold the
position of the Sector Commander till Major M Abul Manjur took over in
September 1971.
On November 7 morning, after the August 15 carnage in 1975, a group
of renegade soldiers went to Abu Osman Chowdhury’s residence at
Gulshan to kill him. Unable to find him, they murdered his wife.
He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1976.
In 1996, when the Awami League assumed the power, Osman Chowdhury
was appointed as the chairman of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation
(BJMC) and later he served as the administrator of Chandpur Zila
Parishad.
In 2014, he was conferred with Swadhinata Padak for his outstanding
role to the Liberation War.
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