The month of March is endowed with significant efforts in our history. This month carries the historical birth of Bangladesh. But the seed of our independence was actually sown on 21st February 1952. After claiming numerous lives on that day Bengali was established as the constitutional language. Pakistan army gunned down some heroic lives like Rafiq, Shafiqur, Jabber, Salam, Barkat and unidentified others in the streets of Dhaka and the adjacent area of Dhaka University for breaking section 144. This incident resulted in the glorious Liberation War of Bangladesh which started on March 26 in 1971.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from his student life engaged himself into student politics. Many times, he was imprisoned like Nelson Mandela the apartheid leader of South Africa. He was under bars for about thirty years. But at last he was successful to achieve his goal by abolishing racism and became the president of his county.
Today he is living in the history of the world. Likewise, Abraham Lincoln passed his total life for the sake of democracy. Now his doctrine " Govt. for the people of the people by the people" has been established as the definition for democracy. Agartala Conspiracy Case was logged against him and consequently our national leader and the father of the nation was imprisoned many times. From his student life he violated Pakistani rulers' tyrannical rules. It was his aim to make free the country and to make the people free from the shackle of foreign administration.
Our country was administered by the British for about one hundred and seventy five years.
We were then oppressed politically, financially, culturally and socially. Economic emancipation was totally impossible. We only were to be entertained with a mouthful of food in exchange of hard labor like a slave which compelled us to start revolution against British rulers. As a result Sepoy Rebellion started throughout the Indian Subcontinent in 1957. The sun of independence appeared in 1947 after a veteran sacrifice of the people of this subcontinent. East Pakistan, now Bangladesh attracted all conquerors for her exquisite beauty and resources, wars and battles took place to occupy this beautiful and enriched land time to time.
The seed of independence was also sown in the 'Lahore Resolution' in 1942 which ended in 1947. But in the second phase we were trapped in the reign of Pakistan Administrators. There was a great difference between the two wings -East Pakistan and West Pakistan in terms of social culture and heritage, language and manners and in all respects, even physical combination is maladjusted with our people. Characteristics of nature are also different. Logistically people of our land could not resist relationship and cooperation. As a result, geographical separation became the burning question to our political leader like Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that burst out in the 7 March speech at Suhrawardy Udyan in 1971.
"This is the fight for our independence, this is the fight for our emancipation" delivered by the dedicated and veteran patriot. Tens of thousands of people irrespective of cast and creed, religion and ethics raised a unique voice after the call for freedom. Innumerable people left with their belongings for India to save themselves. Youths in groups crossed the border to take martial training to fight against the Pakistani troops. Indian government managed to shelter our people with food and abode and trained fit to stand against the enemy. The then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi played a vital role in this regard.
But alas! In that patriotic fight , about thirty lac male and female along with children sacrificed their valuable lives for the cause of our land. All the belongings were snatched away but the most precious and valuable wealth like chastity of the young girls and women were destroyed by raping by the Pak army inhumanly. Some were violated even in front of their parents. Cruelty never stands! Sweeten the patience. Bitterly the misdeeds towards the race must not resist from destruction. A night in 1971 was just a month long duration for the survival of our general mass. Panic and thrill among the people strangled round the clock. Generally the youth folk were the target of the Pakistan army. The nine-month tragic and terrible war ended finally after the surrender of Pakistan force under the leadership of Niazi. He signed on the bondage led by Indian General Jagjit Singh Aurora at the memorial place Suhrawardy Udyan.
On 2nd March, 1971 the Bangladesh National Flag was hoisted first at the Dhaka University premise by A. S. M. Abdur Rab who was the leader of the student organization and a sworn in ceremony held for the independence. Students and people of all walks of life took oath to lay down their life on the altar of country up to establishment of freedom. Procession and programs taken by both the students and general mass and their will force today is out of imagination except the visitor himself.
10th March Bhutto came to East Pakistan to meet Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but our veteran leader didn't agree without power to exercise as the Parliamentarian head as he owned the mass mandate in the election for Awami league head. Bhutto returned to West Pakistan at the call of Yahya Khan and Pak troops were sent to massacre our existence . On 25th March our greatest leader Sheikh Mujib was apprehended at night from his 32 Dhanmondi residence and sent to Pakistan.
Genocide went on across the country. Razaker, Al-Badr, Al-shams and all anti freedom wings cooperated the Pak forces hand in hand. Common people, especially the youths were brutally killed. Even innocent children were not spared. Atrocity started really on the 25th March at night which is called the contaminated night. Relevantly, independence was declared formally on 26th March under the auspices of Sheikh Mujib the Father Of The Nation. March is therefore, in our history, the most significant month. The writer is former Deputy Director of Bangladesh Bank and lecturer in English at CCN University
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