Pakistani junta started genocide in volatile March in Rangpur

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By Mamun Islam

RANGPUR, March 4, 2021 (BSS) – Guessing spirit of the independent-seeker
Bangalees, the Pakistani junta started committing planned genocide in Rangpur
as elsewhere in the country since the beginning of volatile March in 1971.

“The Rangpur people became angry since Pakistani junta Yahiya Khan on
March 1 cancelled the parliament sitting scheduled for March 3 in 1971 and
declared curfew on the day,” former District Muktijoddha Commander Mosaddek
Hossain Bablu said.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with huge hatred
vehemently rejected cancellation of the scheduled parliament session from
March 3, called strike on March 2 in Dhaka and on March 3 throughout the
country. Accordingly, thousands of Bangalees brought out massive processions
breaking curfew as part of the nationwide non- cooperation movements against
the Pakistani regime and three brave sons sacrificed their lives on March 3
in Rangpur.

“The occupation forces got extremely frightened when thousands of
Bangalees brought out processions breaking the curfew in Rangpur city
sacrificing three heroic sons Sangku Samajhder, Abul Kalam Azad and Omar Ali
on March 3 in 1971,” Bablu said.

“Since then, the occupation forces continued committing planned genocide
of the intellectuals and common people to eliminate the Bengali nation from
this fertile soil,” Bablu narrated.

According to the book ‘Mukitjuddhe Rangpur’ written by late freedom
fighter Mukul Mostafizur Rahman, the Pakistani hyenas with local
collaborators caught 11 intellectuals in a pre-planned manner and took them
to Rangpur Cantonment on March 27 in 1971.

Later, on April 4 in 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces with local
collaborators, including non-Bengali Beharis, took the intellectuals to
‘Dakhiganj Shwashan’ in the city and gunned them down to make the Bengali
nation talentless.

One of them, the then Awami League leader Dr. Dinesh Chandra Bhowmick
alias Mantu Daktar, who received severe injuries as eight bullets pierced his
body, luckily escaped death despite indiscriminate firing at him along with
the others.

Later, he joined the Mukti Bahini after getting proper treatments in India
and fought the War of Liberation to liberate the country.

The 10 martyred intellectuals are: Advocate Mahfuz Ali Zorjes, Durga Das
Adhikari, Dhirendranath Shanti Chaki, Khitish Halder, Gopal Chandra, Ehsanul
Haque Dulal, Tofazzal Hossain Moharram, Rafikul Islam Rafique, Uttam Kumar
Adhikari and Pagla Darbesh.

As per their heinous plan, the occupation forces committed genocide of 32
Musollis at Lahirirhat in the outskirts of the city after Juma prayers on May
7 in 1971 uncovering their real face towards the religion of Islam.

The Lahirirhat genocide helped common people, irrespective of caste, creed
and religion, to easily understand the false propaganda conducted by the
Pakistani occupation forces as well as Pakistani government of ‘saving’ Islam
from the enemies. Another book ‘Mukitjuddhe Rangpurer Itihas’ published by
the Rangpur district administration has elaborately narrated genocide of the
32 Musollis (devotees).

According to the book, the occupation forces with local collaborators came
by four trucks and got down in front of Lahirirhat Mosque and soon started
catching the Musollis just after the Friday Juma prayers on May 7 in 1971.
The innocent Musollis soon started running all around to escape from the
human beasts when 32 of them, including a father and his son, were caught by
the occupation forces.

After catching, the occupation forces started torturing the innocent
Musollis, who repeatedly claimed with indescribable fear that they were
Muslims and came to the mosque for offering Juma prayers in a last bid to
save lives.

Eye-witness Motiar Rahman of the area said the Pakistani army took the
Musollis to a nearby pond, forced them to stand in four rows, opened brass
fire killing them on the spot and buried them into a mass grave there.

Freedom fighter Matiar Rahman said genocide of the intellectuals and
Musollis along with common people inspired the Bangalees in joining the Mukti
Bahini en-masse to ultimately achieve the independence on December 16.