Nishbetganj massacre ignited War of Liberation in Rangpur

RANGPUR, Dec 14 (BSS): The supreme sacrifice of over 600 heroic Bangalees while gheraoing Rangpur cantonment on March 28 in 1971 ignited new dimension to the War of Liberation. Thousands of people irrespective of caste, creed and religion at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman attempted to capture the cantonment without thinking about their lives. About 30,000 Bangalees including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Oraon, Santal and ethnic minorities equipped with indigenous and lethal weapons, spears, sharp weapons, arrows, bows and clubs rushed to Nishbetganj for the purpose. They started rushing towards the cantonment as per a previous plan that was leaked out to the Pakistani occupation army, as the anti-liberation forces including the Bihari collaborators were planning to root out the Bangalees. According to the veteran Freedom Fighters (FFs) and the book 'Juddhe Juddhe Swadhinata' written by Major Nasir Uddin, the Bangalees were advancing from the south and southwestern areas to capture the cantonment at any cost. At one stage, CPB leader late Comrade Soyer Uddin and Awami League (AL) leader FF Majibar Rahman Master addressed the spontaneous gathering at Nishbetganj near the cantonment with AL leader Sheikh Amjad Hossain in the chair. The 23rd Brigade Headquarters of Pakistan Army was then stationed at Rangpur cantonment and the 3rd Bengal, 26th Regiment at Syedpur, 23rd Cavalry Regiment and its associate forces and 29th Tank Bahini were under its command. Brigadier General Abdullah Malik was the then Brigade Commander and the cantonment was equipped with the latest and modern automatic heavy arms, artilleries, tanks and ammunitions with huge Pakistani forces and Biharis. The Pakistani forces and the Biharis soon showered automatic gunfire towards the independence-seeker Bangalees to commit genocide by killing over 600 Bangalees and injuring hundreds more. The vast green grass fields on the Ghaghot riverbank turned into a blood- sea after war criminals Brigadier General Abdullah Malik, Colonel Sagir and non-Bengali Bihari soldiers and officers, committed the fearful genocide. The Bihari and Punjabi officers and soldiers charged bayonets repeatedly on the injured Bangalees committing unprecedented atrocities and crimes against humanity before putting all bodies into the mass grave there. Elaborate programmes have been chalked out by the district administration and other organisations to show due respect to the martyrs on December 16 at Nishbetganj Baddhyabhumi Smriti Soudha 'Rakta Gaurab'. RANGPUR, Dec 14 (BSS): The supreme sacrifice of over 600 heroic Bangalees while gheraoing Rangpur cantonment on March 28 in 1971 ignited new dimension to the War of Liberation. Thousands of people irrespective of caste, creed and religion at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman attempted to capture the cantonment without thinking about their lives. About 30,000 Bangalees including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Oraon, Santal and ethnic minorities equipped with indigenous and lethal weapons, spears, sharp weapons, arrows, bows and clubs rushed to Nishbetganj for the purpose. They started rushing towards the cantonment as per a previous plan that was leaked out to the Pakistani occupation army, as the anti-liberation forces including the Bihari collaborators were planning to root out the Bangalees. According to the veteran Freedom Fighters (FFs) and the book 'Juddhe Juddhe Swadhinata' written by Major Nasir Uddin, the Bangalees were advancing from the south and southwestern areas to capture the cantonment at any cost. At one stage, CPB leader late Comrade Soyer Uddin and Awami League (AL) leader FF Majibar Rahman Master addressed the spontaneous gathering at Nishbetganj near the cantonment with AL leader Sheikh Amjad Hossain in the chair. The 23rd Brigade Headquarters of Pakistan Army was then stationed at Rangpur cantonment and the 3rd Bengal, 26th Regiment at Syedpur, 23rd Cavalry Regiment and its associate forces and 29th Tank Bahini were under its command. Brigadier General Abdullah Malik was the then Brigade Commander and the cantonment was equipped with the latest and modern automatic heavy arms, artilleries, tanks and ammunitions with huge Pakistani forces and Biharis. The Pakistani forces and the Biharis soon showered automatic gunfire towards the independence-seeker Bangalees to commit genocide by killing over 600 Bangalees and injuring hundreds more. The vast green grass fields on the Ghaghot riverbank turned into a blood- sea after war criminals Brigadier General Abdullah Malik, Colonel Sagir and non-Bengali Bihari soldiers and officers, committed the fearful genocide. The Bihari and Punjabi officers and soldiers charged bayonets repeatedly on the injured Bangalees committing unprecedented atrocities and crimes against humanity before putting all bodies into the mass grave there. Elaborate programmes have been chalked out by the district administration and other organisations to show due respect to the martyrs on December 16 at Nishbetganj Baddhyabhumi Smriti Soudha 'Rakta Gaurab'.