Summer 2020

GEN 226: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH

Session#3: Topic#5
Sub-topic: 2 & 3

Liberation War in 1971

Freedom Fighters and People’s War
There were many significant events in the history of the emergence of Bangladesh starting
from 1947 till the achievement of sovereignty in 1971 through a liberation war. The war
broke out in the region with the genocide, arson and bombing on 25 March by the Pakistan
Army and with the following declaration of Independence by the undisputed leader of Bengal
– Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 26 March.

Following that, the declaration was endorsed as a Proclamation on 17 April 1971, and a
formally Constituent Assembly came into being at Mujibnagar. However, before the
formation of this de jure government in exile which was formed to take care of the immediate
needs of the then Bengal region (or the then East Pakistan), several resistances took place
throughout the country, especially since the declaration of independence. A formal military
leadership of the resistance was created in early days of April under the Provincial
Government of Bangladesh.

The military council was headed by General Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani (as Chief in
Command) and eleven sector commanders. The Bangladesh Armed Forces were established
on 4 April 1971. In addition to regular units, such as the East Bengal Regiment and the East
Pakistan Rifles, there was also the Mukti Bahini.

 Mukti Bahini

In Bengali, the ‘freedom fighters’ (or liberation army) are known as The Mukti Bahini. They
are also known as the Bangladesh Forces. These were the guerrilla resistant movement
formed by the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary and civilians during the war that
transformed East Pakistan into Bangladesh in 1971. Earlier, another name was also used for
the Mukti Bahini as Mukti Fauj.

The “Mukti Bahini” was divided into two groups; the “Niomito Bahini” – or “regular forces”
– that came from the paramilitary, military, and police forces of East Pakistan, and the
Gonnobahini – or “people's forces” – who were civilians. These names were given and
defined by the Government of Bangladesh. [Also, please see the link from Banglapedia]

The most prominent divisions of the Mukti Bahini were from regular forces under the “K
Force” led by Major Khalded Mosharraf, the “S Force” led by Major K M Shafiullah and the
“Z Force” led by Major Ziaur Rahman. Awami League student leaders formed militia units,
including the Mujib Bahini, the Kader Bahini and the Hemayet Bahini. The Communist Party
of Bangladesh, led by Comrade Moni Singh, and activists from the National Awami Party
also operated several guerrilla battalions.

Serious initiative for organising the Bangladesh liberation army was taken between 11-17
July. In a meeting of the sector commanders in Kolkata, some important resolutions were
taken in consideration of strategic aspects of the war, existing problems and future course of
resistance. Using guerilla warfare tactics*, the Mukti Bahini secured control over large
parts of the Bengali countryside. It conducted successful “ambush” and “sabotage”
campaigns and included the nascent Bangladesh Air Force and the Bangladesh Navy.
[*Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants,
 Summer 2020
GEN 226: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH
Session#3: Topic#5
Sub-topic: 2 & 3

such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregular use military tactics including
ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger
and less-mobile traditional military. Guerrilla groups are a type of violent non-state actor.]
Following this, the operations conducted by the Guerilla freedom fighter group named
‘Crack Platoon’ is of special mention. [Please see the sheet on ‘Crack Platoon’]

The Mukti Bahini received training and weapons from India, where people in the eastern and
northeastern states share a common Bengali ethnic and linguistic heritage with East Pakistan.
In the initial months of the war, Bengali forces took control of numerous districts including
Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Barisal, Mymensingh, Comilla, and Kushtia among others.

With the support of the local population, many towns remained under the control of Bengali
forces until April and May 1971. Notable engagements during this period included the Battle
of Kamalpur, the Battle of Daruin and the Battle of Rangamati-Mahalchhari waterway in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The Mukti Bahini divided the war zone into eleven sectors.

 The Eleven Sectors [Please see the link from Banglapedia]

 War Strategy in brief

The war strategy included a huge guerrilla force operating inside Bangladesh that targeted
Pakistani installations through raids, ambushes and sabotaging West Pakistani-controlled
shipping ports, power plants, industries, railways and warehouses. The wide dispersion of
West Pakistani forces allowed Bengali guerrillas to target smaller groups of enemy soldiers.
Groups ranging in size from five to ten guerrillas were assigned specific missions. Bridges,
culverts, fuel depots and ships were destroyed to decrease the mobility of the Pakistan Army.

However, the Mukti Bahini failed in its Monsoon Offensive attack after Pakistani
reinforcements successfully countered Bengali engagements. Attacks on border outposts in
Sylhet, Comilla and Mymensingh had limited success. The training period slowed the
momentum of the Bangladesh Forces, which began to pick up after August. After the
monsoon, the Mukti Bahini became more effective while the Indian army created a number
of bases inside East Pakistan for the Mukti Bahini. The railways in East Pakistan were almost
completely shut down due to the Mukti Bahini's sabotage. The provincial capital, Dhaka, had
become a ghost town with gun-fire and explosions heard throughout the day.

Regular Mukti Bahini battalions were formed since July 1971, increasing the effectiveness of
the Mukti Bahini. Sabotage and ambush missions continued to be carried out, demoralizing
the Pakistan army. Conventional Bangladesh Forces mounted various successful offensives,
capturing 90 of the 300 border outposts.

The Mufti Bahini intensified guerilla attacks inside Bangladesh while Pakistan increased
reprisals on Bengali civilians, though the movement of Mukti Bahini into, out of, and inside
East Pakistan became easier and more common. In November, Indian involvement increased,
with the Indian artillery and Indian Air Force providing direct cover for the Mukti Bahini in
some offensives. Attacks on infrastructure and the increase in the reach of the provisional
government weakened the control of the Pakistan government.
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GEN 226: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH
Session#3: Topic#5
Sub-topic: 2 & 3

Earlier, the Bangladesh Naval Forces took shape in July. Operation Jackpot was launched by
the Bangladesh Forces on 15 August 1971. Bangladesh Navy commandos sunk vessels of the
Pakistan Navy in Mongla, Chittagong, Chandpur and Narayanganj. The operation was a
major propaganda success for Bangladeshi forces, as it exposed to the international
community the fragile hold of the West Pakistani occupation. The Bangladesh Navy
commandos targeted patrol craft and ships carrying ammunition and commodities. With
Indian aid, the Mukti Bahini acquired two vessels, the Padma and Palash, which were
retrofitted into gunboats with mine-laying capabilities.

The boat crews extensively mined the Passur River in the Sundarbans, reducing the ability of
Pakistani forces to operate from the Port of Mongla but were mistakenly bombed by Indian
Air Force troops that resulted in the loss of both vessels and some of the lives of the Mukti
Bahini and Indian personnel on board. The Bangladesh Navy carried out attacks on ships and
used sea mines to prevent supply ships from docking in East Pakistani ports. Frogmen were
deployed to damage and sabotage ships.

The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) was established on 28 September 1971 under the command
of Air Commodore A.K. Khandker. It initially operated from a jungle airstrip near Dimapur
in Nagaland, India. When taking over liberated territories, the Bangladesh Forces gained
control of World War II airstrips in Lalmonirhat, Shalutikar, Sylhet and Comilla in
November and December.

The BAF launched "Kilo Flights" under the command of Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud
on 3 December 1971. Sorties by Otter DHC-3 aircraft destroyed Pakistani fuel supplies in
Narayanganj and Chittagong where targets included the Burmah Oil Refinery, numerous
ships and oil depots.

During the war, the Mukti Bahini became part of the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces. It was
instrumental in securing the Surrender of Pakistan and the liberation of Dacca (now Dhaka)
and other cities in December 1971.

 Bangladesh-India Allied Forces

During the war, India came forward to be beside Bangladesh. The then Prime Minister of
India – Ms. Indira Gandhi authorized diplomatic, economic and military support to the
Bangladesh Forces in April 1971. As a result, the Indian Armed Forces provided substantial
training and the use of its bases for the Bangladesh Forces. The Bangladesh liberation
guerrillas operated training camps in the Indian states of Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal. Mukti Bahini were allowed by
India to cross the border at will.

By the time of war, the West Pakistan was doing massacres in East Pakistan. And they were
also in disturbances in the border lines with Indian regions. Soon the 1971 war of liberation
of Bangladesh became a partial war between India and West Pakistan also. The conflict
reached its climax with the launch of ‘Operation Chengiz Khan’ by West Pakistan on North
India.

As a result, a joint Command structure was established between the Bangladeshi and Indian
forces. Three corps of the Indian Armed Forces were supported by three brigades of the
Mukti Bahini and the Bengali guerrilla army. The Mukti Bahini and its supporters guided the
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GEN 226: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH
Session#3: Topic#5
Sub-topic: 2 & 3

Indian army and provided them with information about Pakistani troop movements. The
Indian and Mukti Bahini greatly outnumbered the three Pakistani army divisions of East
Pakistan.

The Battle of Sylhet, the Battle of Garibpur, the Battle of Boyra, the Battle of Hilli and the
Battle of Kushtia were major joint engagements for the Bangladeshi and Indian forces, which
swiftly captured surrounding land by selectively engaging or bypassing heavily defended
strongholds. For example, the Meghna Heli Bridge airlifted Bangladeshi and Indian forces
from Brahmanbaria to Narsingdi over Pakistani defenses in Ashuganj.

The cities of Jessore, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Kushtia, Noakhali and Maulvi Bazar quickly fell
to the Mukti Bahini-Indian joint forces. The Mukti Bahini liberated most of the Dhaka district
by mid-December.

In Western Pakistan, Indian forces advanced deep into Pakistani territory as the Port of
Karachi was subjected to a naval blockade by the Indian Navy. Pakistani generals
surrendered to the Mukti Bahini-Indian forces in Dhaka on 16 December 1971.

 Honoring the Freedom Fighters

The war of liberation was fought to achieve the long-cherished independence for a free
country. But the price the Bengali had to pay goes beyond any explanation. The freedom
fighters along with millions of civilians had to pay the price in lieu of bloodsheds, sacrifices,
and pains. The government of Bangladesh has honored such sacrifices.

There are four designated honors awarded to the listed freedom fighters. These are: Bir
Sreshtho, Bir Uttom, Bir Bikrom, and Bir Protik. There are 7 valiant children of the soil who
have been honored with Bir Srestho. And there are 69, 177, and 426 recipients of Bir Uttom,
Bir Bikrom, and Bir Protik awards respectively. [Please see the sheet on ‘Honoring the
Freedom Fighters – at a glance’]

There are also women valiant fighters who were awarded with the title of Bir Protik. They are
– Captain Sitara Begum and Taramon Bibi. However, later Kakon Bibi (born as Kaket
Hanchiata) has also been awarded as a Bir Protik in 1996.

To add, it is to note that, a foreigner was also awarded with the title of Bir Protik who was a
friend to Bangladesh and took part in the liberation war as a freedom fighter. He is – William
A. S. Ouderland, a Dutch-Australian in origin. He is the only foreigner to have received this
honorary award.

 Women in the Liberation War

There are many stories where role of women in liberation war can be found. Some of them
could be extracted and those were published in many sources including newspapers. Some
others have been portrayed in the drama and movies. Yet thousands other stories may still
need to be exposed.

The reason behind this is because there is a general tendency to think of war only in terms of
physical fighting and exchange of gunshots. But the Liberation War or any war for that
matter, which has involved the entire population of the country, has been a struggle through
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GEN 226: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH
Session#3: Topic#5
Sub-topic: 2 & 3

which a united nation has asserted its aspiration for freedom. Such wars are not fought only
in the battlefields, neither are they fought only with guns. War heroes include those women
who have supported the valiant freedom fighters with food, shelter, funds; who have nursed
the wounded and hid weapons risking their own lives. They also include those who have
willingly given their sons to war, who have lost their loved ones and even worse, been
subjected to sexual abuse and still survived to tell their stories (The Daily Star, 16 December
2016).[Please see the sheet on ‘Women's Role in Bangladesh Liberation War’]

[For more details, please see the Articles below, titled:

(a) ‘The Women in Our Liberation War 'from Daily Star dated 16 December 2016
(b) ‘Women and War of Liberation’ from Daily Sun dated 24 March 2018
(c) ‘Women Freedom Fighters’ from the Independent dated 6 December 2017.]

 Genocide in Bangladesh

The genocide in Bangladesh began on 26 March 1971 with the launch of Operation
Searchlight, as West Pakistan began a military crackdown on the Eastern wing of the nation
to suppress Bengali calls for self-determination rights. During the nine-month-long
Bangladesh War of Liberation, members of the Pakistan military and supporting Islamist
militias from Jamaat-e-Islami killed between 300,000 and 3,000,000 people and raped
between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women, according to Bangladeshi and Indian
sources, in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape. The actions against women were
supported by Jamaat-e-Islami religious leaders, who declared that Bengali women were
gonimotermaal (Bengali for "public property"). As a result of the conflict, a further eight to
ten million people, mostly Hindus, fled the country at the time to seek refuge in neighboring
India. It is estimated that up to 30 million civilians became internally displaced. [Please see
the sheet on ‘Genocide in Bangladesh in 1971’]