Hamidur Rahman

Hamidur Rahman

Bir Sreshtho
; Hamidur Rahman; Bir Sreshtho
Native name	হামিদুর রহমান
Born	2 February 1953; Moheshpur, East Bengal, Pakistan
Died	28 October 1971 (aged 18); Srimangal, Bangladesh
Allegiance	Bangladesh
Service/branch	Bangladesh Army
Years of service	1971
Rank	Sepoy (No: 3943014)
Unit	East Bengal Regiment
Battles/wars	Bangladesh Liberation War †, Sector-4
Awards	Bir Sreshtho

Hamidur Rahman (2 February 1953 – 28 October 1971) was a sepoy in Bangladesh Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Rahman was killed on 28 October 1971 at Dholoi during the Battle of Dhalai, Srimangal during an attempt to capture the Pakistani Army position. The advancing Mukti Bahini column finally captured the Dhalai Border Outpost on 3 November 1971. He was posthumously awarded the Bir Sreshtho, the highest recognition of bravery in Bangladesh.^[2] The Dhalai post was eventually captured permanently by three infantry battalions belonging to 61 Mountain Brigade, one battalion belonging to East Bengal Regiment and 7 Rajputana Rifles supported by an artillery brigade of the Indian Army^[3]^[4] fought against 12 Frontier Force Regiment of the Pakistan Army.^[3]^[5]^[6]

Background

Rahman was born on 2 February 1953 in Khardo Khalishpur village (Renamed Hamid Nagar) in Moheshpur thana of the Jhenaidah District. Hamidur Rahman Degree College was named in his honour.^[7] He was the eldest son of his family. During the Partition of India in 1947, his paternal properties fell in India. They crossed over the border and settled in the bordering area of Khorda Khalishpur of Jhenaidah.

Liberation war

Hamidur Rahman joined East Bengal Regiment on 2 February 1971 and participated in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.^[8] During the war he made a significant contribution in capturing the Dhalai Border Outpost at Srimangal. Though the independence fighters came very close to the Border Outpost, it became very difficult to capture owing to the enemy machine gun which was continuously firing from the south-western corner of the Dhalai Border Outpost. On 28 October 1971, a battle was taking place between 1st East Bengal Regiment and 30 Frontier Force Regiment in Dhalai of Sylhet. 125 members of the East Bengal Regiment decided to use grenades on the machine gun posts of the Army. Rahman took the responsibility of throwing grenades, and crawled through the hilly canals. He managed to throw two grenades before he was shot.^[9] Rahman jumped into the enemy machine gun post and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with the two crews who were guarding the gun, and at one point neutralised the gun.^[9] Realizing that the machine gun outpost was damaged, the EBR's approach towards the enemy captured their first line within a short period of time. After the capture of the Dhalai Border Outpost, members of the EBR found the dead body of Rahman.^[9] Rahman's efforts helped the East Bengal Regiment take the outpost. He was buried in Tripura in India.

Reburial

On 27 October 2007, advisers of the Bangladeshi caretaker government decided to bring back his remains to Bangladesh and bury him besides Bir Shrestho Matiur Rahman. It is said ^{[by whom?]} that the last place he stood alive was about 20 feet away from the Pakistani bunker, either in a canal or where the memorial is (near the bunker).^[10] 10 December 2007 the remains of Rahman were brought back to Bangladesh and on 11 December 2007 he was buried again at Buddhijibi Koborsthan (Cemetery), Dhaka.^[11]

Rahman was posthumously awarded the Bir Sreshtho, Bangladesh's highest award for valor, for his actions.

Legacy

Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman Stadium in Jhenaidah district is named after him.^[12] A ferry was named after him.^[13] A library and museum was built in his memory and the village he was born in, Khordo Khalishpur has been renamed Hamid Nagar.^[14] Hamidur Rahman Degree College was named in his honour.^[7] Adamjee Cantonment College, a prestigious institution of Bangladesh has one of their houses named after Hamidur Rahman.

References

Media related to Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman at Wikimedia Commons

^ "Birshrestha Hamidur museum opens today". The Daily Star. 9 March 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ "War heroes honoured". The Daily Star. UNB. 21 November 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b Major General Ashok Kalyan Verma (15 May 2013). Jungle Odyssey (A Soldiers Memoirs). KW publisher Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9789385714771. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
^ "Brig 'Tom' Pande, the Maha Vir". Tribune India. 18 July 2021.
^ "Notable battles in the 11 Sectors". Dhaka Tribune. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
^ "Battle of Dhalai". Defence Journal. December 1998. pp. 30–36. Archived from the original on 7 October 1999.
^ ^a ^b "Birshreshtha Hamidur's death anniversary today". The Daily Star. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ Khan, Muazzam Hussain (2012). "Rahman, Birsrestha Mohammad Hamidur". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ ^a ^b ^c বীর হামিদুরের ঘরে ফেরা. Chutir Dine, Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Mahfuz Anam. 15 December 2007. pp. 4–6.
^ বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ হামিদুরের দেহাবশেষ দেশে এনে সমাহিত করা হবে. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Mahfuz Anam. 28 October 2007. p. 20.
^ "Home they brought warrior dead: Bir Shreshtha Hamidur to be buried at Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard today". The New Nation. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
^ "Ershad denies calling any party hated". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ "Ferry services go haywire". The Daily Star. 11 September 2011. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ "Birshrestha Hamidur museum opens". The Daily Star. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.