East Pakistan Civil Service (EPCS) official, M Abdul Ali, is a great hero of our Liberation War in 1971, was about to be blanked out with the passage of time. He fought for honour and died. Ali's great name shot into prominence in 2015, after 45 years of our Independence, through the object of good wishes of Yeasin Rana Sohel, a Rangamati born and based author and human rights activist.
Ali was born in 1926 in an educated family of a remote hamlet in the Gopalgonj District. He did his Matriculation Examination in 1942 and obtained first division with gold medal from Maharani Victoria School, Balurghat, India. Thereafter, he was not necessitated to retrospect back. In 1954, he was qualified in the EPCS Examination with distinction. On 20th November, 1970, he was posted as Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and Chief Magistrate at Rangamati Sub-Division.
Wherever he worked, he demonstrated his brilliance with furthest honesty and moral soundness. He was an un-fearing person to his principles and never bowed down to any injustices. He was the best of the best of Bengali government officer the country has ever produced.
He had previous contacts with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through private channels. In the all Pakistan based National Election of 1970, Awami League led by Bangabandhu won a landslide victory and he became the majority party leader in the-then Pakistan.
At the beginning of Liberation War, Ali was so courageous and patriotic that he did not leave Rangamati to take shelter in India, believing the words of the-then Magistrate of Rangamati Munaim Chowdhury and also to support the just cause of establishing Bangladesh. But as bad luck would have it, on 16 April 1971, he was caught up with his son, Yusuf Harun, along with arms and ammunitions by the Pakistan army. He was then tortured for 12 days and killed. His dead body was thrown to the Kaptai Lake.
Yeasin Rana Sohel took enough pains to find out details of this martyred M Abdul Ali and wrote a book on him titled: "Mohan Shadhinata Sangram-er Okutobhoi Bir Shahid M Abdul Ali", which was launched on 27 April 2015. This helped drew attention staggeringly to the concerned quarters including the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Because of Rana's noble initiative, this forgotten legendary figure of our history was laurelled with the title of Independence Award (posthumously) on 24th March 2016. The good deeds have never lost away which bear testimony to this fact and Sohel is a burning example of it.
PM Sheik Hasina's advisor HT Imam said about him: "M Abdul Alim, SDO of Rangamati was a true patriot and dedicated to the cause of establishing Bangladesh."
Edward Abbey once said: "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his tyrant government" and martyred Ali stood up against the despotic rule of Pakistani government. The Martyred Mausoleum at Rangamati, and Remembrance Palace at Faridpur of M Abdul Ali and Shahid Abdul Ali Academy at Rangamati --- are brightly shining to remember this great hero of our Liberation War.
Anwar A Khan is an
independent researcher
�At the beginning of Liberation War, Ali was so courageous and patriotic that he did not leave Rangamati to take shelter in India, believing the words of the-then Magistrate of Rangamati Munaim Chowdhury and also to support the just cause of establishing Bangladesh. But as bad luck would have it, on 16 April 1971, he was caught up with his son...�
