Bangladesh Liberation War | Essay: About 57 km from the Hili border, Hamjapur village still retains the memories of the Liberation War

Speaking of Dinajpur, one remembers about Hili near Balurghat in West Dinajpur. A battle tank still stands at Hilli as a memorial to the Indo-Pak war of ’71. On March 25, many Bengalis from East Pakistan crossed the border and settled in Dinajpur. During the liberation war, many refugee camps were built in the border areas of Dinajpur.

About 57 km from the Hili border, Hamjapur village in Gangarampur police station still retains the memories of the Liberation War. Twenty one freedom fighters of Bangladesh are lying in two graveyards in the village. Without any government help, the two cemeteries are maintained with the financial support of the villagers. Sixteen graves in one, five graves of freedom fighters in the other. Covered with weeds, salt stains on the walls. Names of freedom fighters written on the faded wall (photo). It is the villagers who clean the weeds once a year and write the names of the martyrs on the tablets. A short walk away is the second cemetery, covered in piles of bamboo leaves. The names of the freedom fighters cannot be clearly read on the gray wall.

Torap Mia talks about Georges Mia, Fazlul Haque, Captain Eidris while showing the slaughterhouse. Talking with Torap on the train, I got to know the unknown story of Dinajpur during the liberation war. The refugee camps were built in Tarangpur, Bangar, Champatuli near Hamjapur. A part of sector number 7 of Mukti Bahini was in Hamjapur village. The southern part of Dinajpur – Bogra, Rajshahi, Pabna was under this sector. Major Kazi Nurzzaman took charge when Sector Commander Major Nazmul Haque was killed in an accident. One of the nine sub-sectors was at Hamzapur, in charge of Captain Eidris Ali. About 150 freedom fighters joined his camp during the war, an army was formed under his leadership from the freedom fighters selected from the refugee camps. Georges Mia, Torap Mia’s father, hid Muktifauz weapons in the living room of his house. Many other families in the village used to hide Mukti Bahini equipment in their houses.

Punarbhaba river next to Hamjapur. The Pakistani army could not figure out the location of the freedom fighter camp for many days as the village was some distance from the main road, surrounded by trees. The camp was built on Badulla government land. From a tree near the border with East Pakistan, the Pakistani army kept watch over Hamzapur, disrupting the camp’s operations. Abdur Rahman, a member of Mukti Bahini, blew up the tree with a mortar. It increases the morale of the forces. Later, leather boots and clothes were arranged by the Indian Army for the freedom fighters of Hamjapur village. Seven tailors were employed to make the garments. This sector is called Tiger Army.

Talk to Mansoor Ali Mia near the graveyard. In 1971, Mansoor, a fourteen-year-old boy, worked as an aide in the camp. Here he met the young freedom fighter Anwar Hossain. Anwar used to tell him the story of his mother. On the day he went to war for the last time, he held Mansoor’s hand and asked him to pray for him. Mansoor rushed to the camp after hearing the screams in the morning; Anwar’s body was lying under a lychee tree, his chest riddled with bullets. Still alive, Anwar held Mansoor’s hand and said that he would not meet his mother again. Anwar’s grave is in the cemetery by the Punarbhaba River, as is Captain Eidris’ grave. There is Fazlur Rahman—killed almost all twenty members of a Khan army bunker near the border, he was shot dead by a Khan army while returning to collect their weapons. He is the first martyr of Hamjapur camp.

A large camp was set up at Tarangpur to train the newly selected members of the Liberation Army, the Indian Army trained Bangladeshi boys there. Aziz, a retired soldier from the East Pakistan Rifles, used to help recruit boys from refugee camps to join them. A temporary medical camp was set up at Hamjapur, with a doctor and some health workers. The war-returned wounded were first treated in the temporary camp at Hamzapur; If the situation was dangerous, they were taken to the headquarters of the Liberation Army in Karnjora. Initially, the Muktifauz soldiers worked without pay, but later a small salary was arranged by the Provisional Government of Bangladesh.

In September ’71, Tajuddin Ahmed visited the Hamzapur camp. Khan’s song about the liberation war called ‘Khan Bangali Pala’ was once very popular in Gangarampur and surrounding areas. Today is all in the past. The villagers do not know whether the families of the freedom fighters are also aware of the existence of these graves. This village is witness to an untold history.