Bangabandhu: Prison experience in Pakistan

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is Bangladesh's people's politician and a world stature of statesman who led the Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 being incarcerated in Pakistan's jailhouse against the barbarous Pakistan's military junta to establish Bangladesh.

Bangabandhu was imprisoned several times by the undemocratic and military regime of Pakistan. In his less than 55 years of life till the emergence of independent Bangladesh, he spent 4682 days or nearly 13 years in prison. But nothing could stop him. He was equally powerful a voice and leader even from within the prison.

'On February 5, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presents his historic six-point programme known as the `Charter of freedom of the Bengali nation'. It drew the roadmap for the independence of Bangladesh under the garb of greater autonomy. 

'He travels far and wide in order to gain support for his 6-Point programme and is arrested 8 times during the campaign. After the final arrest by the regime on May 8, 1966, he is imprisoned for nearly three years.'

'The Agartala Conspiracy Case results in a nationwide student movement and mass uprising demanding the withdrawal of the case and the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Under pressure from the public, the Ayub Khan government is forced to withdraw the Agartala Conspiracy Case and release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and others on February 22, 1969.'

'On March 7, in his historic speech before millions of people at the Racecourse Maidan, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman calls on his fellow countrymen to take all out preparation for the War of Liberation.'

'At midnight on March 25, 1971 the Pakistan army launches its heinous campaign of genocide against unarmed Bengalis. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaims the Independence of Bangladesh in the early hours of March 26. Right after the proclamation, he is arrested and taken to a Pakistani prison.'

'After nine months of bloody war, Bangladesh is liberated with the surrender of the Pakistani occupation army on December 16, 1971. In August and September, the Pakistan Junta held a secret trial of Bangabandhu and sentenced him to death. People of the world are enraged and demanded the security of the President of Bangladesh.'

'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is assassinated by a handful of army renegades in the early hours of August 15, 1975 as part of a larger national and international political conspiracy hatched by anti-liberation forces. 

Sheikh Mujib's prison experiences began when he was eighteen years of age in 1938 and continued still he was 52 years of age in 1972. During the 25 years of Pakistani rule,Mujib spent 13 years in prison and faced death sentences twice.

For the first Mujib was sent to jail for seven days in 1938 for an alleged row over the visit of the-then Chief Minister AK FozlulHaque and Labour Minister Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy to his home town-Gopalganj. Later the case was withdrawn by the local authority without further charges.

Once again Sheikh Mujib was arrested for delivering a fiery protest speech at Gopalganj High School. However, he was immediately released without any charges against him.

He was arrested for an alleged fire incident at a public meeting in Gopalganj during the visit of Hossain Shaheed Surhwardy and Abbul Hashem. Mujib was arrested on false charges and sent to jail for few days.

Sheikh Mujib was arrested at the gate of the Secretariat in Dhaka for picketing in favour of Bengali Language Demand Day on 11 March 1948. Along with approximately 75 others he was sent to the jail. However, they were released on 15 March as result of an agreement between the Chief Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin and the RashtrabashaShangramParishad (State Language Action Committee).

Later in September 1948 Sheikh Mujib was arrested under the Securities Act and kept in the jail until the following year.

On 19 April 1949,Mujib was arrested for barricading the residence of the Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University in support of the demands of the Class Four employees (un-skilled/semi-skilled) of the University for pay increase. He was detained at Dhaka Jail and he was fined 15 takas for taking part in the protest movement. However,Mujib refused to pay the fine or sign bond for his release. Whilst in the jail Sheikh Mujib was elected as one of the joint secretaries of the newly formed East Pakistan Awami Muslim League on 23 June. He was released from the prison on 17 July 1949.

On 1 January 1951,Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was arrested under the Security Prisoner Act. The reasons for the arrest was alleged engagement in clash with the police during a hunger strike in Fulbaria Railway Station on 11 October 19149. After a court hearing in 1951 Sheikh Mujib was given 3 months' prison sentence. At that time Mujib was taken to Gopalganj from Dhaka on another case. Later he was taken to Faridpur and kept in a solitary confinement. Later on he was transferred to Khulna jail. By this time, he had served 18 months in prison. Later he was granted bail by the Gopalganj court.

However, as he was about to board the ship to return home he was arrested once again under the Security Act. Bangabandhu was kept in jail from 1 January 1950 to 27 February 1952. Whist in the prison Bangabandhu went on hunger strike demanding the state language status for the Bengali language. Bangabandhu continued his hunger strike from 16 February until his release from the prison on 27 February 1952.

Bangabandhu was arrested on 30 May 1954 from his Minto Road home and taken to the police station for questioning about him travelling to Karachi via Kolkata and detained in Dhaka Central Jail.

Sheikh Mujib was arrested again on 16 June 1954 and served 8 months in the prison until he was released on 18 February 1855.

On 7 October 1958 General Ayub Khan declared Martial Law and outlawed all political activities in Pakistan. On 12 October Bangabandhu was arrested from his home in Segunbagicha and sent to Dhaka central Jail. He was detained in jail for 14 months without any charges.

At end of 14 months' jail terms, he was released but immediately arrested at the jail gate on alleged charges relating to another and case and sent back to the prison. On 7 December 1961 Sheikh Mujib was released after serving nearly 3 years in prison by the High Court upon hearing a writ petition filled by his lawyers.

Sheikh Mujib was arrested once more under the Public Security Act on 6 February 1962 and release on 18 June 1962.

Whilst campaigning for the all party presidential candidate Fatema Jinnah during the presidential election, Mujib was arrested on 3 December 1964 and kept in the prison until the end of the election.

Sheikh Mujib was sent to the prison on 28 January 1966 for two cases filed against him by the state for delivering seditious speeches. He served one year in jail, however he later was able secure interim bail from the High Court.

Whilst travelling around the country to build public opinion in favour of 6 points demands, Bangabandhu was arrested in Jessore on 18 April 1966. However, he was granted bail to return to Dhaka. Nonetheless Bangabandhu wasted no time to get back to his campaign trail. As soon as, he hit the road he was arrested for delivering speeches in favour of 6 points in Rangpur, Sylhet and Mymensingh.

For giving a speech at a public meeting in Chachara, Narayanganj on 7 May 1966 in support of the 6 points demand, Sheikh Mujib was arrested on 8 May 1966 under the National Defence Act. He was sentence for 3 months and sent to Dhaka Central Jail. By this time the authority began to ill-treat him and filling cases one after the other against him. For example, he was accused for making anti-state and illegal statements in public at PaltanMaidan on 28 March and on 7 April 1966 in Pabna. Sheikh Mujib was sentence for one year in jail on 28 April 1966. He was kept in the prison until 28 January 1968.

'In the darkest hours on 25 March, 1971 Pakistan army launched "Operation Searchlight" to suppress the Bengali uprising. This is how General Niazi described the event of 25th March, "On the night between 25/26 March 1971, General Tikka Khan struck. Peaceful night was turned into a time of wailing, crying and burning. The military action was a display of stark cruelty more merciless than the massacres at Bukhara and Baghdad by Changez Khan and Halaku Khan or at JalianwalaBagh by the British General Dyer.'

In the early hours of 26 March 1971,Bangabandhu proclaimed an Independent Bangladesh. Soon after he was arrested from his home in Dhanmondi by the Pakistani soldiers who took him to the Miyanwala jail in Pakistan. 

There Bangabandhu was tried by a military court for treason and sentenced him to death. He was released from the prison in Pakistan on 8 January 1972. He returned to a hero's welcome to an Independent Bangladesh on 10 January 1972 via London.

For Bangladesh, according to prominent journalist and celebrated columnist Syed Badru Ahsan has written, "He had, throughout his political career, spent 4,682 days in prison. Following the liberation of Bangladesh, he would live for 1,314 days before renegade soldiers of the Bangladesh army would assassinate him and most of his family."

In the 101th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu, we all people convey gratitude to the greatest Bengali of all time our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Lastly, it could be mentioned in the words of poet Ananda Shankar, "As long as the Padma, Meghna, Gouri, Jamuna flows on, your accomplishment will also live on, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman"

Anwar A Khan. TBS Sketch.

(Postscript: I am grateful to those great writers from whom I have collected many information for writing this article).

Anwar A Khan is an independent political analyst specializing in politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs