Bangladesh War of Independence: Christian Muktijuddhas (Freedom Fighters) -- 2

• Thomas Ashish Bepari (1952 - 1971):

Thomas Ashish Bepari, belonging to the Anglican Church, was born in Barisal town in 1952.

In 1971, he was a college student doing Intermediate studies. After the March 25 West Pakistani army crackdown on the Bangalis, he decided to do something for his homeland. In June, he went to India with his friend Arunesh Pandey, who after the independence, became an Anglican minister with the name 'Father Francis Pandey'.

First they went to Bongaon of West Bengal, India, and got themselves registered for guerrilla training. Then they went to Toki Camp where they had a month-long training. From there they were sent to Chakunia Camp in Bihar State for commando training. He had a wish to work under Major M. A. Jalil in Sector No. 9, but his wish was not fulfilled. He was selected for a small group of commandos to work under the Muktibahini camp at Shyampur Village under Bakerganj Thana. The West Pakistani soldiers through their spies had already come to know of the oncoming operation plan of this commando group. The soldiers were prepared to finish the group.

Thomas Ashish Bepari and his group reached Shyampur at night. One local political leader, who was also a school headmaster, gave leadership of this muktibahini (liberation forces) camp. Considering security risks, Thomas Ashish Bepari expressed his disagreement with the plan of letting all the commandos spend the night in one single house, but, out of respect for the camp leader, he did not press for it.

It was November 22, 1971. West Pakistani soldiers made a pre-dawn preemptive strike on the muktibahini camp. The sleeping commandos were caught unaware. As they had reached the camp at night, they were not familiar with the locality. Yet they tried to fight it out, but were surrounded by the enemy. At one point, Ashish's overheated gun did not work and he was ordered to surrender.

Thomas Ashish Bepari was seized and taken to the West Pakistani army camp. After torturing, he was killed. His corpse was never found.

The Oxford Mission School at Barisal commemorate the death of this brave muktijuddha (freedom fighter) every year. Students are told and retold the events of the Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971.

• Porimol Drong (1952 - 1971):

Porimol Drong, a Roman Catholic belonging to the Garo (Mandi) ethnic group, was born in 1952 at Monikura Village of Haluaghat Thana in the then Mymensingh District. He was an accomplished football player in his school.

In 1971, he as an S.S.C. (Grade 10) examinee. After March 25, 1971 West Pakistani army crackdown, Kudrat Ullah Mondol, a local member of the provincial parliament and an organizer of muktibahini (liberation forces), and Promode Mankin, the first Garo headmaster of Biroidakuni Catholic High School (later an Awami League M.P.) inspired young men to join the muktibahini. Porimol Drong and other Garo boys went to India for guerrilla training.

After a month-long training at Tura town of the Meghalaya State, India, he was sent for operations in the Sector No. 11, where Hamidullah Khan was the Sector Commander. In June, 1971, Porimol participated in the operation on the Nagla Bridge under the leadership of Company Commander Abdul Gafur. By the end of June, they did operations at Kashiganj under Nokla Thana. As their ammunitions were depleted, they had to make a retreat. At the village of Ramnagar, Porimol Drong was captured by the local Rajakars (West Pakistani army-sponsored paramilitary forces of collaborating Bangalis). He was handed over to the enemy soldiers, who tortured him with blades, razors and bayonets for a number of days and shot him to death on the bank of the Kongsho River in Fulpur Thana.

After the independence, one market at Maddhyabazar in Haluaghat Thana has been named after Porimol Drong. The Shaheed Minar (martyr's memorial) at Biroidakuni Catholic High School is dedicated to him as well. In memory of this muktijuddha, Garo students at the Kanchijhuli Students' Hostel in Mymensingh annually organize the 'Shaheed Muktijuddha Porimol Drong Football Tournament'.

Christians in Bangladesh are proud to be an integral part of the Bangladesh War of Independence. They are proud of being the citizens of this 'Golden Bengal'.

Photo Courtesy: Muktijuddhe Amra: Christander Obodan, edited by Sunil Pereira et al, (Dhaka: Pratibeshi Prakashani, 1995).

(The End)

[To go to the beginning of this write-up, please click here]

Bangladesh War of Independence: Christian Muktijuddhas (Freedom Fighters) -- 1

_

The cover of the book in Bangla,
Muktijuddhe Amra: Christander Obodan
(We in the War of Independence: Contributions of the Christians),
edited by Sunil Pereira, Father Subrata Boniface Tolentino, C.S.C.,
Jerome D'Costa and Boniface Subrata Gomes, and
published by Pratibeshi Prakashani, Luxmibazar, Dhaka, 1995.

This book is an attempt to memorialize the efforts of the Christian -- both Roman Catholic and Protestant -- muktijuddhas (freedom fighters) in the 1971 War of Independence in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Among several hundred Christian muktijuddhas, this volume portrays 33 of them.

The Christians in the then East Pakistan, irrespective of their different ethnic groups -- Bangalis, mongoloid ethnic groups, and adibashi (aboriginal) communities -- had the same nationalistic spirit as their Bangali Muslim and Hindu compatriots. Christians sacrificially assisted internal refugees of any religious and ethnic background by providing food, shelter, clothing and also directly participated in the freedom struggle as muktijuddhas. More than a dozen Christian muktijuddhas also got killed in the line of their duty.

From the above-mentioned book, I present below four Christian muktijuddhas, who gave their lives in the War of Independence in 1971:

• Subhas Biswas ("Subhasda"):

Subhas Biswas, a Baptist, belonged to the Khalishakhali Village of Gopalganj District. In 1971, he was a student at the Australian Baptist Mission Technical Centre at Faridpur.

During the non-cooperation movement, called for by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman due to delaying tactics of the West Pakistani ruling class to hand over power to the Awami League, Subhas returned to his village. Soon he joined others and left for India.

After a few months' guerrilla training in India, his group returned to his locality. Mr. Shehabuddin was theMuktibahini (liberation forces) Commander of Sector No. 8. For a time, they took shelter at the Children's Welfare Centre of the Australian Baptist Mission at Bhorakandi Village.

The West Pakistani soldiers had set up their camps at Bhatiapara and Gopalganj. From these places they had been wrecking havoc and death and destruction in surrounding areas. Villagers were fleeing in droves and taking shelter from one village to the next.

The commando group of Subhas stayed at the house of Satish Majhi at Khalishakhali Village. One night they attacked the enemy soldiers, but could not last long. Then they planned new attacks. It was October 25, 1971. In their first attack, the motor launch of the West Pakistani soldiers capsized. Soon another group of soldiers came on foot to their rescue.

Fighting started on both sides. Both the groups had their share of the wounded. At one point, Subhas and his friend were the only ones remaining in the bunker. Others gradually moved away in face of fearsome shootings. When the two were trying to crawl away through the same rice field where the enemy was on the other side, one bullet hit Subhas' leg and it was bleeding profusely. At one moment, Subhas lost sense of direction, he sat from his crawling position. Immediately a bullet hit his head and divided his skull. He fell on the rice plants and the whole place was bloodied. His friend somehow could escape from there.

Subhas Biswas became a martyr. After the independence of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Baptist Fellowship dedicated their largest church on the Green Road of Dhaka to Shaheed (Martyr) Subhas Biswas.

• Khokon Solomon Purification:

Khokon Solomon Purification, a Roman Catholic youth, was from the Shadhon Para of East Rajabazar, Dhaka.

On June 16, 1971, he left Dhaka with some other youths and went to Agartola of Eastern India. After the guerrilla training in India, he participated in several attacks on the West Pakistani soldiers in Dhaka area.

He did not contact his parents for quite some time and they thought that he was killed in some guerrilla operation. One day he suddenly surfaces and meets his parents. After three or four days, he vanishes again. Before leaving, he gave three pairs of churi (bangles) to his mother and said: "If I don't return, you remember me watching these churis." He never returned.

It was November 12, 1971. Khokon Solomon and his co-fighters were busy setting up explosives for destroying a culvert on a road at Saidabad on the eastern outskirts of Dhaka. Unexpectedly an army patrol vehicle appeared and started to shoot at them. Khokan Solomon Purification and his cousin William Montu died instantly, when others could get away from the scene.

Shaheed Khokon's parents were so much shocked at his death that they could never live a normal life again.

Photos Courtesy: Muktijuddhe Amra: Christander Obodan, edited by Sunil Pereira et al, Dhaka: Pratibeshi Prakashani, 1995)

.

(More)