ZCZC
BSS-04
MARTYRDOM-INTELLECTUALS-RANGPUR (with picture)
10 Rangpur martyred intellectuals suffered brutal torture before death:
Bablu
RANGPUR, April 3, 2021 (BSS) – Ten intellectuals of Rangpur embraced
martyrdom today of 1971 when the Pakistani occupation army gunned them down
after unleashing inhumane torture at Shwashan (crematory) Baddhyabhumi in the
city.
Talking to BSS, former district 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 resorted to barbaric physical
tortures causing intolerable pains and sufferings to them,” he said.
At night on April 3, 1971, the Pakistani blood-hungry occupation army took
them to Dakhiganj Shwashan Baddhyabhumi in the eastern part of the city and
gunned them down by opening brass fire.
“Fortunately, one of them, Awami League (AL) leader Dr. Dinesh Chandra
Bhowmick alias Mantu Daktar, who received eight bullets, escaped the horror,”
Bablu.
Bablu came to know the horrific killings while being conversation 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, 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.
Former Rangpur city unit Commander of BMS Sadrul Alam Dulu said the
occupation forces killed the ten intellectuals of Rangpur at night on April
3, 1971 to make Rangpur talentless and foil the War of Liberation.
The people of Rangpur actually started the War for Liberation from the
beginning of March in 1971 after becoming extremely angry when Yahiya Khan on
March 1 cancelled the scheduled parliament sitting on March 3 and declared
curfew on the day.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with huge hatred
vehemently rejected cancellation of the scheduled parliament session and
called a strike on March 2 in Dhaka and March 3 throughout the country.
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 Kachari 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 at 9:30 am while Sangku was taking part in
the massive non-cooperation movement rally that was passing through Alamnagar
area in the city.
The supreme sacrifice of him triggered mass anger 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 igniting the War of Liberation across the
northern region.
“Under such circumstances, the killing of ten intellectuals on April 3,
1971 here by the occupation army ignited sleeping heroism in every Bangalee
inspiring them to join the ‘Mukti Bahini’ en-masse to achieve the crucial
victory on December 16,” Dulu added.
BSS/SPL/MI/GMR/1313 hrs