A tribute to a 1971 Liberation War hero

 

Sector Commander of our Liberation War Major General (retd) Chitta Ranjan Dutta, widely known as CR Dutta, Bir Uttam, who was an advocate of non-communalism, passed away in a hospital of the USA. He was 93. The Liberation War hero was awarded 'Bir Uttam' for his valiant roles during the war.

The veteran freedom fighter who served in the top positions of different government organisations, including Bangladesh Rifles (now BGB), breathed his last at a Florida hospital on 25 August.

CR Dutta, who was the founding Director General of the now-defunct Bangladesh Rifles in 1973, left behind three daughters, a son named Mahua, Chayanika,  Kabita, and Chironjib, a host of relatives, well-wishers, and followers to mourn his death. His late wife Monisha Datta also contributed to the social movement.

He also served as the chairman of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Kalyan Trust and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and played various significant roles during his tenure to develop two key organisations of the government.
In 1927, CR Dutta was born to his parents Upendra Chandra Dutta and Labanyaprabha Dutta in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya state in India, where his father was posted as a police officer.

After completing his primary education there, CR Dutta returned to his ancestral village in Habiganj's Chunarughat upazila He studied up to class two at 'Laban Govt High School' in Shillong.

He completed his secondary education from Habiganj Government High School and received his BSc degree from Daulatpur College in Khulna.

He entered the army in 1951 and a few days later, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, then CR Dutta served as a battalion commander in the East Pakistan Rifles. During the Liberation War, CR Dutta became the commander of Sector 4, which covered the whole area of Sylhet division and some adjoining areas.

Dutta was on a holiday in Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War. He joined the war after being inspired by Bangabandhu's  historic 7th March speech.

He had given several interviews to media nationally and internationally. His opinions and determination are manifested in the interviews which are described in below.

‘Now I have to go back to the times of the partition in 1947. India declared their national’s policy-Secular democratic  policy. That is the reason we will find that very few Muslims  migrated from India to West Pakistan even East Pakistan.

Now, I come to Pakistan .......Pakistan declared that Pakistan will be the homeland of Muslims, so minds of the minority communities are affected, they started migrating to India.”

“The Pakistan declared that the Urdu will be the only state language. East Pakistan and West Pakistan.... . there are about 12  hundred miles difference. East Pakistan had a completely different cultural tradition.  Even a way of life and food is different from West Pakistan.”

Pakistan started economic and other types of discrimination against the Bengalis of the East Pakistan then the movement started under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“I joined the Pakistan Army only this is not there. This is my thinking at least I never felt that.

When I was in Pakistan and during my cadet life and during my service, I felt that I was in prison and I started hating Pakistan. Because I thought that   their real picture came  in my mind and that time I was waiting to take revenge against Pakistan and I got in 1971 and the first  time I just jumped and joined the Liberation War.”

He also mentioned that " In our area when I landed in January 1971 then the whole country was under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On 25th March  when  Pakistan had started torturing then we all got together and at that time I remembered Bangabandhu  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 7th March speech that is “whatever you have, you fight against Pakistan. That is how we got together and whatever we have.  We started making groups. We fought against Pakistan.”

 It may be remembered Dhirendra Nath Datta demanded in Pakistan Constituent Assembly to declare Bengaly as the state language on 25th February, 1948. We know a rally had been organised on the street on 11th March, 1948 for establishing Bengali as a state language and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was at the forefront of the rally. It is also mentionable that in 1954 election, United Front defeated Muslim League under the leadership of Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Haque, Hosen Shahid Sohowardy, Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and Sheik Mujibur Rahman was the prominent organizer.

This struggle led to the Liberation War after passing through the different phases.

After the war, CR Dutta, Bir Uttam, was made the brigade commander in Rangpur in 1972. In 1973, the government felt the need to form a border guard force for independent Bangladesh and gave the responsibility to him.

He was appointed as the first Director-General of Bangladesh Rifles. He went to retirement from Bangladesh Army as a Major General in 1984.

In 1977, C R Dutta became the chairman of Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust. After serving as the chairman of BRTC for some time in 1979, he was re-appointed as the chairman of Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust. He retired in 1984.

We know in recognition of his valiant role in the Liberation War, he was conferred 'Bir Uttam' award, the second-highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for a living individual.A road from capital's Kataban to Karwan Bazar signal has been named as 'Bir Uttam C R Dutta Road'.

President Hamid said the nation will remember CR Dutta forever. In a condolence message, PM Sheikh Hasina said the country and the nation will remember his unique contribution in the great Liberation War with gratitude.

Let us describe the socio political situation after assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975. It may be remembered C R Dutta played a prominent role to establish the rights of the people.

We know after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975 anti-liberation forces tried to establish Pakistani idea and promulgated indemnity ordinance to stop the trial of the killers by Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed government and by the fifth amendment  of the constitution Ziaur Rahman changed the secular democratic values of the seventy two Constitution that was based on principles of the liberation war and also had included indemnity . 

Nearly eleven thousand war criminals and collaborators had been released, Jamaat and other anti-liberation forces had been allowed to function openly. It may be mentioned that after the establishment of nation-state, Bangabandhu established a secular democratic constitution in 1972, steps had been taken and direction had been given in all sectors of the government.  All sections of the people irrespective of religion and profession were getting equal rights and opportunity based on Bengali nationalism and country was moving forward, but after seventy five rights had been curtailed and people were being oppressed and discriminated.

That’s why people especially minorities had been leaving the country. Quadar Siddique BU and his groups started resistance, ethnic minorities of CHT were forced to leave the country and took shelter in India, they started resistance movement under the leadership of Manabendra Larma later on by JB Larma of JSS. Leaders, organisers and workers protested in different forms. Political parties, socio-religious - cultural and human rights organizations started a movement to establish the rights of the people.

Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina came from India in May 1981 and all the movements got momentum under her visionary and bold leadership, most of the socio - religious - cultural and human rights organizations had been formed and functioning with the mainstream  socio-political movement. Mohan-ogor Sarbojonin Puja Committee, Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and later on Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad had been formed to establish equal rights, equal status and equal opportunities in different phases of the movement.  Side by side Tribal Welfare Association under the leadership of Pramod Mankin, Adibasi Samity and later on Bangladesh Adibasi Forum had been formed with the same objective.

People thought that rights would be established after ninety’s  mass upsurge based on tri alliance manifesto. Though after ninety-six election Sheikh Hasina’s  government  had taken steps in democratic direction ninety-one govt of BNP and 2001 government of BNP – Jamaat frustrated the people. Anti liberation forces got patronization and support from government and state level, there were grenades’ attack on AL public meeting on 21 August 2004. There were incidents across the country even there were attacks across the country in a day. The aim was to destroy the pro-liberation democratic forces. On this background, AL led grand alliance got large scale victory in December 2008, and from 2009, PM Sheikh Hasina has been running the government in three consecutive terms.

Trials of Bangabandhu killers had been completed and execution is being done, the trial of war criminals are going on, the trial of jail killing has been completed. CHT peace treaty has been done, Vested Property Return Act with some amendment is being implemented, steps to stop discrimination on minorities and woman empowerment are being taken, four basic principles of the seventy-two constitution have been included in the constitution by the fifteenth amendment following the verdict of the Supreme Court, though some dissimilarities are there.

We know all these steps have been taken by democratic political forces under the leadership PM Sheikh Hasina. We know social forces based on the spirit of the Liberation War have been taking a prominent role to strengthen the democratic forces and to establish rights. In this regard, HBCOP and other allied forces have been doing movements and activities to create confidence among minority communities and for the unity of all sections of the people. Major General (rtd) CR Dutta BU and others played a prominent role in these social movements.  

In interviews, he mentioned the situation regarding minorities in post-1975 period after the formation of HBCOP. He said, "They are being tortured and humiliated. Their property is being taken forcibly so they cannot stay. That’s why they have no other way out but to get out of the country. I  thought that it is better to stay in my own country.........That is the reason I say in 1988 when Ershad declared that the Islam is the state religion, we thought that we three religious communities must get together and fight out unitedly before that it was not that much organised force. ed, must be reconstructed.

The writer is an academic,
 former ambassador,
leader-student action committee 71 and freedom fighter.