Samar Sen was Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka from July 1974 to November 1976. The photo was taken in August 1971. He was then serving as India's Ambassador to the United Nations. -Getty
It was nine o'clock in the morning on November 26, 1975.
Samar Sen, the Indian High Commissioner posted in Dhaka, got down from the car in front of the Indian Embassy in Dhanmondi.
As soon as High Commissioner Samar Sen got out of the car, a group of young men raised their arms and told him, "Mr. Sen, you are a hostage in our hands, let's go up." Indian High Commissioner Samar Sen was speechless at the suddenness of the incident.
He was so terrified that he could not walk. The armed men dragged him upstairs, reports BBC Bangla.
At that time, when the security guards inside the embassy opened fire, four of the gunmen were killed and High Commissioner Samar Sen was seriously injured.
A group of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal or JSD youths tried to hold Samar Sen hostage.
In the plan of Mr. Anwar Hossain, the then head of the Dhaka region of the military branch of the police. An attempt was made to take Sen hostage. Anwar Hossain was the younger brother of late Colonel Abu Taher, the founder of JSD. He served as Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University till 2014 after retiring as a professor of Dhaka University.
Professor Hossain gave a detailed account of the hostage situation of High Commissioner Samar Sen. This issue has come up in a book written by him. The title of the book published in 2012 is 'Colonel Taher in the Great Liberation and 7th November Coup'.
Former Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwar Hossain has detailed the plan to abduct Samar Sen in his book.
Those who went to take High Commissioner Samar Sen hostage did not know that Indian armed guards were stationed on the ground floor of the embassy.
Professor Anwar Hussain wrote, "Halfway up the stairs to the second floor, 10-12 armed Indian guards suddenly came out from a room on the ground floor of the house. The members of the armed forces were surprised to see them. Despite seeing the security guards, the members of the armed forces thought that they would not be able to fire. Samar Sen will also be shot." "Actually, the squad members were instructed not to kill the hostages under any circumstances. Because if the hostages die, the entire mission is defeated."
Four of the six hostage-takers were killed by Indian guards. The other two were seriously injured. The then Indian High Commissioner Samar Sen was seriously injured in these shells.
Professor Anwar Hossain wrote, on the night of 24th November 1975, it was decided that the Indian Ambassador Samar Sen would be taken hostage. That is why a suicide squad was formed.
Professor Anwar Hossain's two brothers were in this group. One of them was Hossain Belal and another Sakhawat Hossain. Mr. Belal is currently an Awami League party member of parliament. On the other hand, Sakhawat Hossain was shot dead by the security guards while taking Samar Sen hostage.
On November 25, members of the Suicide Squad visited the Indian Embassy and observed.
After this incident, the then embassies in Dhaka became very worried.
Davis Eugene Boster, the then US ambassador to Dhaka, sent a cable to Washington on 26 November describing the incident. This is among the thousands of cables released by Wikileaks.
In his cable, the US ambassador said, "Six youths, disguised as visitors, took out revolvers from their pockets and moved towards him (Samar Sen). At this time, the security guards on duty rushed in and exchanged fire. The assailants proceeded towards the reception. The security guards opened fire with stun guns, killing six. went and two were injured."
Four revolvers were recovered from the abductors and they were aged between 20 and 25, the US ambassador's cable said.
Researcher and writer Mohiuddin Ahmad has described the incident in his book 'The Rise and Fall of JSD: Politics of Unsettled Times'.
The issue of taking hostage the then US ambassador in Dhaka was thought of to realize their demands. But later he changed his decision and decided to hold the Indian High Commissioner hostage.
Author and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad wrote, "First the US Embassy located at Adamjee Court in Motijheel was reckied. Later the decision was changed and the Indian High Commission was reckied at Road No. 2 in Dhanmondi."
There was a political reason behind not taking US or any other Western ambassadors hostage.
The hostage takers thought that taking a Western ambassador hostage would be seen by many as an Indian conspiracy.
By taking the Indian ambassador hostage, that part of JSD wanted to show that JSD had nothing to do with India.
Professor Anwar Hussain described the matter in his book as follows - "The reactionary groups portrayed JSD as an Indian agent. In such a situation, if a Western envoy is taken hostage, the slander is more ripe and it will also be identified as an Indian conspiracy. Besides, by taking Samar Sen hostage, India's relationship with JSD It was also felt that the matter could be clarified."
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