In memory of Bangladesh Liberation War hero Lt Col Abu Osman Chowdhury

 

Lt Col Abu Osman Chowdhury (1936 - September 5, 2020) was a Bangladeshi war hero and freedom fighter. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he served as Commander of Sector 8 of the Bangladesh Forces.

In 1971, Abu Osman Chowdhury was posted in Chuadanga, under district Kushtia as a Major of the Pakistan army and the Commander of 4th Wing East Pakistan Rifles (EPR). He left for Kushtia with his family on 23 March 1971 to attend an official meeting. He was staying at Kushtia Circuit House on the night of 25-26 March when the news of Operation Searchlight reached him.

Sensing imminent danger, he left Kushtia on early morning of 26 March 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 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, 1971, Major Abu Osman Chowdhury was appointed the commander of the western sector, which comprised Kushtia, Jessore, areas of Faridpur, including Doulatpur-Satkhira Road encompassed within Khulna.

It was past noon of 26 March when Major Abu Osman Chowdhury reached his Wing headquarters at Chuadanga. There, his NCOs briefed him of the overall situation including formal organization 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 26 March 1971 in Chuadanga. While Major Abu Osman Chowdhury was given the position of the Commander, DrAshabUlHaq, 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, Jessore, Khulna districts. All the armed personnel from defense, 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 27 March at about noon the Pakistani flag, last flying one at the EPR Wing headquarters was ceremoniously lowered and the tri-color 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 Bangladesh's 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 7 November morning, during the 1975 coup or soldier mutiny 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.

We are very sad that Bir Uttam Lt Col Chowdhury passed away on 5 September, 2020 at CMH, Dhaka at the age of 84.

Every day, we should work hard to tell the stories of our Liberation War heroes of 1971, their struggles, and their sacrifice. But, as we find ourselves getting further away from that critical time in our history, we realize that fewer and fewer generations of young people will actually know the heroes of that era.

These fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors overcame a once-in-a-generation challenge and they deserve a memorial that will last for generations to come.

Our thoughtful echoing retentiveness is a meaningful way to honor someone special while also offering a lasting tribute to the courageous men and women of the 1971 War to bring about Bangladesh and their legacy.

In order to create lasting memories, we must first pave the way…Every day, memories of our 1971 War, its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs and disappear will remain alive in our hearts.

Lt Col Chowdhuryis a great man, who served admirably during our glorious Liberation War in 1971.

He is a great officer and an even greater leader of freedom fighters in the war field. 'You are loved and will never be forgotten by any soldier that ever served under you.' I would follow you into hell.

He was a true war hero who was never comfortable being called one. When asked if he was a hero, he liked to answer: "No, but I served in a company of heroes."

We are honored to make a tribute to this real-life war hero on this day. To him, the human cost of war is incomprehensible.

We salute the man, not the rank.This is true leadership. This is Lt Col Abu Osman Chowdhury for me or us.

He was not someone died to have a decorated uniform or chase after medals. He could have stayed in the military if he had wanted to after the war, but that was not the life he craved for.He was just a man that wanted to do the right thing. And he did.

He was a wonderful human being. It is a sad day for us. He, without question one of the great heroes of the 1971 War, has died.

He was warm and friendly, yet at that age (his 80's) and so many years after his military service, he had command presence. It was the nature of the man. It is so often said that meeting one's heroes can be disappointing, believe me, that was not the case for me on the day I met him several years ago. It is a memory I have treasured these years and always will.

In 1971, Lt Col Chowdhury - everything that had to be done he had to do it. The distinguished veterans like him remind us of the heroic struggles they, and their fellow freedom fighters, both civil and military, took part in all that year to hasten the end of the War to attain Bangladesh.

The Great Victory for us on 16 December, 1971 through a war of blood-bath for an independent and sovereign homeland forus was a pivotal event of the 20th century with enduring significance for the fate of all humankind. It was achieved thanks to the joint efforts of Bangladesh -India - Soviet Union giving a crushing defeat to the countries of Pakistan-America-China coalition. That invaluable experience is a turning-point in the world history and we can gasconade to all people across the world.

The freedom fighters have ensured that democracy would continue in this country, despite enduring unbelievable suffering. Many paid the ultimate price to secure this goal.

While we celebrate Victory Day every year as we would have liked, we should never forget that fight for freedom and the spirit that was so evident during the 1971 War. We must never lose hope that the freedom that they guaranteed for us, will be ours.

We shall commemorate every freedom fighter like him. We were crushed but we were also liberated. We too can welcome the fact that the anti-Bangladesh liberation forces were defeated, that the land of Bangladesh was freed and that this terrible war was finally over.

Untold millions of service men and women, as well as civilians, died in the War for Bangladesh. We should never forget them. Their personal sacrifice has secured a better future for us all.

They and their efforts to defeat a ruthless enemy would not be forgotten.

Please allow us, our proud compatriots, to be the first to offer our gratitude, our heartfelt thanks and our solemn pledge: you will always be remembered. We owe so much to those who protected our country in its darkest hour.

Lt Col Chowdhury like heroes are living testaments to the Bengali spirit of perseverance and victory, especially in the midst of benighted days.

Hope shows in our determination to build a better, fairer, more Bangladesh world and country: a country that will be built in justice, peace and generosity as we are united after we won our Independence.

The country has been passing through a deadly malady like Covid-19 since long, but it will not change our determination to pay our tributes to the war veteran like Lt Col Abu Osman Chowdhury.

Heroes are people who rise to the occasion and slip quietly away.

Honor our hero today. My honor to him.

Hope, the New Year treats the world much better than the previous years. Much love for Bir Uttam Lt Col Chowdhury.


The writer is an independent political observer who writes on politics, political and human-centered figures, current and international affairs.