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Freedom fighters, political and civil society leaders pays tribute to
General Aurora
Sector
Commanders of the Bangladesh Liberation War, political and civil society
leaders paid rich tribute to General Aurora, the Chief of the
Bangladesh-India joint Command during the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Lt. General (retd.) Jagjit Singh Aurora (89) passed away recently (3 May
2005) at a hospital in Delhi.
Politicians and former Sector Commanders rebuked the
government for not observing state mourning at the death of a hero of the
liberation war who defeated and led the surrender of more than 90 thousand
Pakistani army at Dhaka on December 16, 1971.
Describing the BNP-Jamat government an anti-liberation
coalition of the war criminals and fundamentalists, they said the people
of Bangladesh feel ashamed and undermined due to the government’s
disgraceful gesture towards General Aurora. The Bengali nation is not
ungrateful, our nation is deeply shocked at the sad demise of General
Aurora and we will never forget Aurora’s and India’s contributions to the
Liberation War of Bangladesh, they told at the memorial meeting at CIRDAP
auditorium Dhaka on 8 May (2005), jointly organized by ‘South Asian
People’s Union against Fundamentalism & Communalism’, ‘Nirmul Committee’
(Committee for Resisting killers & Collaborators of Bangladesh Liberation
War) and ‘MSSK Trust’.
Chaired by Prof. Kabir Chowdhury, President of SAPUAFAC,
the memorial meeting was addressed by Air Vice Marshal (retd.) A K
Khandakar Bir Uttam (Deputy Chief of the Liberation War and former air
chief), Major General (retd.) K M Shafiullah Bir Uttam (Commander of ‘S’
Forces of the Liberation War and former army chief), Major Rafiqul Islam
Bir Uttam, (Commander of Sector 1 and former home minister), Lt. Col. (retd.)
Abu Osman Chowdhury (Commander of Sector 8 and former chairman of BJMC),
Mujib Bahini Commander Abdur Razzak MP. (Presidium member of Bangladesh
Awami League and former water resources minister), freedom fighter Abdul
Jalil MP, (General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League and former
commerce minister), freedom fighter Barrister Amirul Islam (who drafted
the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh), Justice K M Sobhan
(President of Bangladesh-India Committee for Amity), Sarbajit Chakraborty
(Deputy High Commissioner of India), freedom fighter journalist Haroon
Habib (former managing director and chief editor of BSS), freedom fighter
prof. Nimchandra Bhowmik (General secretary, Hindu-Buddhist-Christian
Unity Council), educationist Shamoly Nasrin Chowdhury, (wife of Dr. Alim
Chowdhury, martyr of the liberation war), Tanjim Ahmed Sohel MP (son of
Tajuddin Ahmed, the first prime minister of Bangladesh) and freedom
fighter Kazi Kamal Bir Bikram. Writer journalist Shahriar Kabir presented
the keynote paper titled ‘General Aurora and India’s Contribution to the
Liberation War of Bangladesh.’
Paying tributes to Aurora, Abdul Jalil MP said, “It would
not have been easy and quick to gain the independence if our neighboring
friend India had not helped us.”
Barring anti-liberation elements, he said people who love
Bangladesh and the pro-liberation forces would always recall the memories
of Aurora.
“We fought in 1971 to establish a democratic, secular
Bangladesh but unfortunately the country is now being run by
anti-liberation and fundamentalist forces”, Jail regretted.
Abdur Razzak said, “Gen. Aurora and India’s Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi will always be remembered by the freedom fighters”. He also
recalled Indian General Uban’s initiative and care for training Mujib
Bahini.
He alleged that the anti-liberation forces are implementing
a blueprint to destroy the communal harmony and the spirit of the
independence.
Razzak urged all the pro-liberation forces to get united to
resist all kinds of conspiracy of the anti-liberation forces against our
liberation and sovereignty.
The Indian Deputy High Commissioner said, “We’re grateful
that you have remembered the contributions of India and General Aurora
even after 34 years of Bangladesh’s independence.”
He said such gratitude and feelings would help strengthen
friendly relations between the two countries.
Gen. (retd.) Shafiullah recalled the help extended by both
the Indian government and the people during the war, saying that India
also helped to form the Mujibnagar government without which it would not
have been easy to lead the war.
Air Vice Marshal (retd.) AK Khandakar said, he and Awami
League leader Col. (retd.) Shawkat Ali MP attended the funeral of Aurora.
Aurora’s daughter was overwhelmed seeing them coming from Bangladesh for
paying last respect to her late father.
Justice KM Sobhan recalled slain Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi’s strong leadership in mobilising world opinion in favour of
Bangladesh’s liberation war despite the then US government’s opposition.
In the keynote paper Shahriar Kabir said, India’s
contribution to the Liberation War of Bangladesh has never been mentioned
properly in the text books or books written on the liberation war or even
in the Medias. Without political, economic, diplomatic, military,
socio-cultural and above all humanitarian support of Indian government and
people it was not possible to achieve independence within a nine month
long war.
Shahriar Kabir mentioned people of Palestine are fighting
for independence for more than five decades, which is yet to achieve.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi faced lot of problems and hostility at
home and abroad for supporting the just cause of Bangladesh. The freedom
loving people of Bangladesh will always remember her kindness, bold and
courageous leadership during the liberation war of Bangladesh.
Shahriar Kabir
met Aurora a couple of time and interviewed him for his ongoing research
on the role of India during the liberation war of Bangladesh. Shahriar
recalled, in the interview General Aurora always acknowledged the courage
and valour the Bengali freedom fighters and people of Bangladesh who live
in the rural areas. Repeated guerilla attacks by the freedom fighters on
Pakistani base camps with the help of local people demoralized Pakistani
army that contributed to quick defeat and surrender.
Shahriar described General Aurora as one of the most kind,
decent and modest army personal with humane quality that hardly found in
recent days.
The memorial meeting was
well attended by the freedom fighters, family members of the martyrs of
the liberation war, representatives of the civil society and young NC
activists. A monograph titled ‘General Aurora and India’s Contribution to
the Liberation War of Bangladesh’ written by Shahriar Kabir was published
on the same day by Nirmul Committee to mark the memorial meeting.
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