TANGAIL, Dec 10: Tomorrow (December 11) is Tangail Liberation Day. On this day in 1971, the fearless heroic freedom fighters of Tangail liberated their beloved soil through a courageous battle.
On this day, Tangail was jubilant with the celebration of the valiant Bengali freedom fighters. For this glorious day, the people of Tangail had to pay a supreme price, enduring immense sacrifice and unspeakable atrocities. They had to fight for nine long months against the modern-armed Pakistani aggressors and their local collaborators.
Marking the occasion, a day-long programme will be held on the central Shaheed Minar premises, organised by the historic 'Kaderia Bahini' after a long time. The schedule includes: paying floral tributes at the War of Liberation Memorial at dawn; a traditional folk procession and stick-fighting displays from 10:30 am to 3 pm; and a discussion session starting at 3:30 pm. The discussion will be presided over by the Supreme Commander of Kaderia Bahini Bangabir Kader Siddiqui, Bir Uttam. The chief guest will be the Commander-in-Chief for Tangail in the Great Liberation War Abdul Latif Siddiqui. Additionally, ten selected heroic freedom fighters and distinguished personalities from home and abroad will participate in the discussion.
From March 26 to April 3, Tangail remained independent. During this period, the administration was run under the leadership of the Awami League (AL). On the morning of March 26, the Tangail District Swadhin Bangla Ganamukti Parishad was formed at a meeting held at the residence of Advocate Nurul Islam in Adalat Para. Former AL leader Abdul Latif Siddiqui was made the convener and commander-in-chief of the armed people's forces, and Baduzzaman Khan was made chairman, with Abdul Kader Siddiqui and eight others as committee members. Expatriate organiser of the Liberation War Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, and Ganaparishad member Shamsur Rahman Khan Shajahan were prominent figures. Thousands of freedom fighters gradually organised themselves. After the formation of the Ganamukti Parishad, training for the Liberation War continued. The Pakistani aggressor forces occupied the Tangail town on April 3.
On April 2, the Ganamukti Parishad leaders learned that the Pakistani forces would enter Tangail on April 3. The High Command resolved to resist them. The primary reason for the resistance was that the Dhaka-Tangail highway was the only road connecting Dhaka to various places in Mymensingh District at the time. If the Pakistani forces could be resisted at Tangail's entry point, various areas of Tangail and Mymensingh districts could be kept free from aggressors. The area chosen for resistance was Gora-Shatiachara in Mirzapur thana.
From April 20 to May 2, Kader Siddiqui secretly toured various regions. By May 4, the freedom fighters were organised. It was decided to set up camps in the hilly areas of Tangail and arrange training there. On the first day, a camp was set up at Moricha in Kalihati Thana. Ten freedom fighters assembled there. Later, the freedom fighters moved to the remote hilly area of Bheeratali in Sakhipur. There, the process of reorganising this force began, along with recruitment and training. Later, this force came to be known as the 'Kaderia Bahini'. Its members grew to 17,000. Additionally, 18,000 volunteer forces played a supportive role in the Liberation War as auxiliaries to the Kaderia Bahini. While the Kaderia Bahini was being formed, one or two groups of freedom fighters emerged sporadically in other parts of Tangail District.
On August 16, a battle took place between the Kaderia Bahini and Pakistani forces at Makraoi in Ghatail. In this battle, freedom fighter Hatem was killed and Kader Siddiqui was injured. By December 8, 1971, approximately 5,000 Pakistani soldiers and seven thousand Razakars-Al Badrs were stationed in Tangail.
From April to December 8, the Kaderia Bahini was engaged in battles in Tangail, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Sirajganj, and Pabna, defeating the occupied forces. In these battles, over 300 patriotic, fearless heroic freedom fighters were martyred. The plan to attack Tangail was made on December 8.
One after another, in places like Natiyapara, Nagarpur, Charan, Karatia, Bhasail, Bhuyanpur, Ghatail, Gopalpur, etc., the Pakistani forces began to be defeated. They started fleeing towards the capital, Dhaka. At this time, Kader Siddiqui made contact with the Allied Forces. One by one, all the Pakistani soldiers there were killed. Kader Siddiqui entered the Tangail town in a victory march. The Pakistani soldiers stationed at the Circuit House surrendered to him. Tangail was completely freed from Pakistani aggressors. The people of the district tasted the sweetness of liberation on December 11.
