The war stories of a former teenage guerilla and his dreams for Bangladesh

On August 26, 1971, a 19-year-old Md Ataur Rahman, along with four other freedom fighters, was firing at around 250 Pakistani military men at Narkila village. Despite being shot in his right thigh around 3 pm in the afternoon, he did not cease firing. And what followed that day is a testament to the gallant spirit and effort of our war veterans.  

On the same night, Ataur had to be taken to another village for the treatment of his bullet injury. But the teenager reappeared on the battlefield after his recovery and fought until Sunamganj was liberated. 

The teenager could not have imagined then that he would live to celebrate the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's victory and liberation from the Pakistanis. But, now a euphoric 69-year-old war veteran can breathe in a free land where he has developed his agro-business and his successors – five sons and two daughters – can access education and other fundamental needs because of their Bangladeshi nationality. 

But there remains a knot impeding his happiness. He occasionally feels deep sadness, even disappointment, seeing how his fellow countrymen are still struggling with poverty, inequality and political unrest. 

In a recent conversation over the phone, Ataur said that he along with his comrades, all were members of the valiant 'Das Party'– a group of guerrilla fighters based in the remote Haor region – who fought the war for a free country where resources would be distributed equally and people, irrespective of race and religion, would be treated without any discrimination. 

"We wanted a Bangladesh that operates following nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism," Ataur told The Business Standard. 

1971: A teenage heart 

The intention behind Ataur's involvement in the Liberation War was crystal clear  – to get rid of the oppressive regime in the country. 

In 1970, the son of Sajid Ullah and Hanifa Biwi of Chandipur village in Sunamgan district, Ataur, was just preparing to enrol in an intermediate college. However, his father's demise in that same year delayed his academic progression. 

As the family coped with their tragedy inside their home, outside, the remote village was slowly coming alive to the spirit of the Bengali people's liberation movement. 

Soon after, when the Pakistani occupation army carried out the grotesque, ruthless massacre in Dhaka and some other parts of the then East Pakistan, Ataur rushed to the bordering area in Cherrapunjee, India, to take training on guerrilla warfare. 

"I was among the first trainee batch in Cherrapunjee. Downpours so were common there that we hardly saw a sunny day. I cannot remember the name of our trainer as he always used a codename. After a 28-day training [crash course], I returned and joined the Das Party led by commander Bir Bikrom Jagat Joity Das," Ataur recalled.

War in Haor

After his training, starting from May 1971, Ataur took part in several guerrilla operations around the Haor region. 

One particular operation was to restrict ration supply to the Pakistani forces at Shalla. The guerilla men planned to create an obstacle on the road that would cut off the supply route that was used to transport food to the Pakistani men. 

At the time, the occupying soldiers were allegedly looting the food grains and cattle of Jhilla and Makalkandi villagers. Ataur was in charge of 35 guerrillas who camped out at a base they made at Guprapur Primary School. 

However, Ataur and his men had to move because the Pakistani forces were tipped off. 

Tipped-off, a Pakistani company of around 250 soldiers launched an operation against the guerrillas on the night of August 25. 

The arrival of Pakistani troops, eventually, caused panic among the villagers. As a result, the guerrillas had to go into hiding for a while. But when they heard that the Pakistani armed force carried out arson attacks on the Narkila and Betauka villagers, Ataur rallied his comrades. 

"Who will accompany me in a counter-attack? Raise your hands," Ataur recalled inquiring. Among 35, only four: Satyendranath Das, Azimul Haque, Koti Miah and Abdul Khaleque responded affirmatively. 

It was the dawn of August 26. The small group of five: two for assisting Ataur in firing and two for driving a country boat, launched an assault against the Pakistani army. The battlefield was in the middle of the Shaldigha-Betauka-Nachni-Hatia haor area, and over the water. 

Haor's wetlands made it difficult to stay hidden from the Pakistani forces. Specifically, the landscape of the wetlands offered little to no scope for camouflage. 

"We took enough ammunitions reserved for a single platoon. The whole day, we kept firing. At 3:00 pm, three of my group members were killed. Khaleque was shot in his shoulder while a bullet pierced my right thigh. The Punjabis [Pakistani forces] ordered me to surrender but I did not," Ataur reminisced.

While Ataur and his men were on one boat, some of the 250 Pakistani men got on three gunboats and launched a counter-attack against the boatmen. 

When the daylight diminished, Ataur returned to his temporary base by rowing the boat with one hand while firing against the enemies with another hand. He was operating a light machine gun.  

"The boat was loaded with three dead bodies and two injured fighters. I drove the boat to a canal in the Hatia area where my cousin lived. Informed about our arrival, my nephew Abdur Rab rescued our boat. I told him to take us: Khaleque and me, to the Kulanja area. 

There, Dr Wahid Chowdhury gave us first-aid. From there, our boat returned to Narkila and we handed over the martyred comrades to their relatives," Ataur said.    

The group led by Ataur shifted their base to Barchhara Tekerhat from Narkila. There was Dr Haris Uddin who provided necessary treatment to Ataur's bullet-hit thigh. 

After a month of recovery treatment, the freedom fighter again joined his comrades. 

"Everybody thought that I would not survive. My family members who took shelter at Kaldhar village were informed that I was killed in the operation. And on that very day, the Pakistani army and their Bengali collaborators looted my ancestral house," Ataur said. 

A recovered leg, liberation and life after

In October, the Das Party attacked the Pakistani occupation army in Derai. The guerrillas were grouped into three squads. Ataur led one of them. Sporadic skirmishes continued for three days. 

The next month, the guerilla group carried out several operations including disrupting power supplies and rail communication at Shahjibazar and Habiganj.  

Until the first week of December 1971, when Sunamganj was declared a free area, the Das Party guerillas continued to take part in such operations. 

On November 16, 1971, the 22-year-old group commander Bir Bikrom Jagat Joity Das was martyred. His death shocked Ataur causing him to recoil after hearing the news; alas, the then-teenager kept on fighting the war. 

Soon after Bangladesh's independence, Ataur returned to a semblance of his normal life and got enrolled in Moulvibazar College. 

The young freedom fighter joined Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the ruling party's student organisation and was elected as the first president of the Derai thana unit BCL. 

He later completed a degree course from the college and took the helm of his ancestral family business in agriculture. In 1982, Ataur married Mahibun Nessa. 

Three of Ataur's sons have completed their master's degrees. The elder one is now serving at the government-run 'One House One Farm' project. His other two sons are still unemployed. His two daughters have settled in London after they got married. 

The freedom fighter, since his young age, has been supporting the political party Awami League. He is now serving as the commander of the Derai Upazila unit of Muktijoddha Sangsad – the leading organisation of freedom fighters. Ataur is a listed war-injured freedom fighter (gazette no.1666). He receives government allowance accordingly. 

Today, Bangladesh celebrates its golden jubilee of the victory against the autocratic and ruthless Pakistani military. And this particular victory anniversary carries a different kind of weight and value for the war veterans like Ataur - who took part in the frontlines at a remarkably young age. 

Ataur had overcome the shock of his bullet injury and persevered through the trauma of war. And, over time, since Bangladesh became independent, he witnessed how a war-torn nation struggled to stand on its own feet. 

But the divisions among the political parties continue to disappoint him. He believes that intra-and-inter-party conflicts hinder Bangladesh's advancement towards development, and it needs to be addressed. 

"The young generation should be aware of the fundamental policies on which our constitution was written. And they should work for an equity-based Bangladesh," said Ataur.