Feni Free Day: A Moment to Reflect, Recover and Rebuild Our Liberation War Commitments

December 6 marks the historical Feni Free Day. Although Bangladesh as a whole was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on 16 December 1971, Feni was freed on 6 December. For this reason, December 6 is observed as Feni Free Day. On this day in 1971, the freedom fighters of Feni defeated the Pakistani forces and hoisted the flag of independent Bangladesh on Feni’s soil for the first time. In other words, on 6 December, the first flag of independent Bangladesh flew in Feni.

During the Liberation War, Feni was under Sector 2. Because of its geographical location, Feni was a strategically important zone in the war. From 25 March, the horrors of war unfolded across the country. The Pakistani occupation forces spread throughout Bangladesh, unleashing brutality everywhere. As part of that onslaught, Pakistani forces attacked Feni in the first week of April. Due to Feni’s geographical position, their entry into the area was swift and easy. Meanwhile, news of the advancing Pakistani forces quickly reached the freedom fighters. The drums of war began to sound.

Feni shares borders with India on three sides. As a result, the Pakistani forces carried out widespread atrocities and repression in Feni. But from the very beginning of the war, the freedom fighters of Feni were well-organized. This was reflected in the account of a foreign journalist.

In mid-May of 1971, at a press conference in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s President Yahya Khan claimed that no part of Bangladesh was under the control of freedom fighters. At that moment, a foreign journalist challenged him, saying that he had just visited the liberated zone of Bilonia in Feni. He stated that he had seen Fulgazi, Parshuram, and Chhagalnaiya—three upazilas—completely liberated and under the control of the freedom fighters, with no Pakistani administration or dominance. The journalist added that he had heard further that if these three liberated upazilas—surrounded on three sides by the Indian border, stretching about 8–13 miles in width and approximately 19 miles in length—remained secure as a free zone, they might be chosen as the provisional capital or headquarters of the independent Bangladesh government.

Several battles were fought along the Feni border. Among them, the battles of Shuvopur and Bilonia were significant. Under the leadership of late Abdul Malek (President of the BLF during the war), a leader of the Awami League and an organizer of the Liberation War in Feni, and the late Khawaja Ahmed, the freedom fighters of Feni received training in Dehradun and Chottakhola before joining the war. Initially, a 300-member force of freedom fighters began military training on the grounds of the Feni PTI School. As the BLF’s Feni sub-division commander, VP Joynal Abedin made notable contributions to the war effort in the western part of Feni.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Zafar Imam, Bir Bikram, commander of the freedom fighters in the Feni region, conducted operations on behalf of the 10 East Bengal Regiment from Bilonia and adjoining areas of India. As the Mukti Bahini advanced through Bilonia, Parshuram, Munshirhat, and Fulgazi, part of the defeated Pakistani forces fled towards the Cumilla Cantonment via Sonaimuri in Noakhali, while another part escaped toward Chattogram through the Shuvopur Bridge. The Bilonia battle, directed under the leadership of Zafar Imam, earned a unique place in history as an intense and bloody confrontation.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of VP Joynal Abedin, the BLF (Mujib Bahini) freedom fighters advanced toward the town through Daganbhuiyan, Rajapur, and Sindurpur. Overwhelmed by heavy attacks from the freedom fighters, the Pakistani forces fled toward Cumilla on the night of December 5, after which Feni was declared liberated on December 6. The people of Feni erupted in joy, waving the red-and-green flag across towns and villages.

Freedom fighter Abdul Motaleb, who fought on the front lines, said that the Pakistani forces, disoriented by the fierce attacks of the freedom fighters and the Allied forces, withdrew from all border areas of Feni on the night of December 5 and escaped toward Chattogram. Hearing this news, freedom fighters and thousands of freedom-seeking people gathered at the banks of Rajajhir Dighi near the Circuit House and in front of the Press Club building on Trunk Road, chanting ‘Joy Bangla’ and applauding. Early that morning, the freedom fighters, under the leadership of Sector 2 Commander Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Zafar Imam, Bir Bikram, hoisted the national flag of Bangladesh at the Feni Circuit House (now the Rest House of the Roads and Highways Department) after arriving from Bandua in Fulgazi.

In recognition of their heroic contributions in the 1971 Liberation War, 31 freedom fighters from Feni received state gallantry awards. Among them, 4 were awarded Bir Uttam, 7 received Bir Bikram, and 20 were awarded Bir Protik. Among them, Operation Jackpot leader dauntless Commodore Abdul Wahed Chowdhury (A.W. Chowdhury) from Uttar Sreepur village of Fulgazi upazila received both the Bir Uttam and Bir Bikram awards for his extraordinary bravery.

Women also played a notable role in Feni’s Liberation War in 1971. Feni has three gazetted female freedom fighters: Rahima Begum, Shahadat Ara Begum and Kausar Begum. Among them, Rahima Begum is recognized as a Birangana. Among Feni’s many battlefields, the battles of Mukterbari in Munshirhat, Bandua, and Bilonia hold special historical significance. The combat strategies used on these front lines have been included in the curricula of military academies in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—a source of pride for the freedom fighters of this region.

The Bilonia battlefield holds exceptional significance. The war tactics employed by the freedom fighters in Bilonia have gained recognition as a global model of battle strategy. Resistance fighting began here soon after the war started and continued until 21 June. Later, in the second phase of operations in November, the region was liberated. Bilonia was freed on 10 November. The “Battle of Bilonia” is studied in military colleges in various countries. A.A.K. Niazi acknowledged this in his book The Betrayal of East Pakistan (Page 209), writing: “A Brigade action launched at Belonia was repulsed.”

During the liberation war, the invading forces and their local allies brutally tortured and killed the innocent Bengalis who wanted freedom in some places including Feni Government College and the then CO office. Their dead bodies are dumped in ponds, canals, rivers, ponds and deep forests. Feni Government College Slaughtering Ground, Feni Polytechnic Institute Slaughtering Ground, Rajapur Slaughtering Ground, Feni Railway Station Slaughtering Ground, Daudpur Bridge Slaughtering Ground, Kalidah-Pahalia Bridge Slaughtering Ground, Daganbhuiyan Bridge Slaughtering Ground, Kutirhat Bridge Slaughtering Ground, Jammura Village Slaughtering Ground of Fulgazi, Malipathar Slaughtering Ground of Parshuram and Solia Slaughtering Ground of the same upazila have been identified. But apart from these, even after 54 years of independence, there are many more mass graves which are still unmarked.

The grounds of Feni Government College served as a torture cell for the Pakistani forces. Pro-independence civilians captured from different areas were brought here, subjected to inhuman torture, and then killed and buried. After Feni was liberated on 6 December, thousands rushed to the college grounds in search of missing loved ones. When the ground was dug up, countless human bones and skulls were uncovered. Hundreds of freedom fighters were killed there. A memorial known as Feni Government College Slaughtering Ground now stands at the site inside the college.
Several memorials have been built to honour the martyrs of Feni’s Liberation War—at Feni Government College, on Jail Road bearing the names of the martyrs, and in Bilonia. But much more remains to be done in this regard. I pay solemn tribute to the brave sons of Feni who disregarded the fear of death, threw themselves into the Liberation War, and gave their precious lives for the country’s freedom. Their sacrifices must be honoured by building infrastructure, roads, bridges, culverts, educational institutions, and social institutions in various upazilas and regions in their names.

Research has shown that the graves of many gallantry-awardee martyrs in Feni have not been properly preserved. Many graves have no visible markers; in some cases, even the last remnants of their existence have vanished due to neglect. Yet a government project—“Preservation of Freedom Fighters’ Graves”—exists, along with allocated funds. Has it been properly implemented? Many gallantry-awardee martyrs’ families lack even access roads to their homes, and many live in dire conditions. Such a situation was never desirable. It is a matter of national shame.

On Feni Free Day, one pressing question arises: Are the genuine freedom fighters of Feni—and of the country—being properly recognized? Media reports frequently highlight the issue of fake freedom fighters, who unjustly receive state benefits while real freedom fighters remain deprived. Even after 54 years of independence, many genuine freedom fighters are still missing from official lists and remain unrecognized.

For a country born through a bloody liberation war and now past its golden jubilee, such realities are deeply shameful. The respective ministries and responsible authorities must take prompt and effective measures in this regard. Genuine freedom fighters must be identified and duly honoured. Infrastructure, roads, educational institutions, social institutions, and libraries should be established in every district in their names. Above all, the spirit of the Liberation War must be carried forward to generations after generations through proper initiatives.


Emran Emon is a Sub-Editor at
The Asian Age. He can be reached
at [email protected]