It has been 54 years, yet the days of 1971 still return vividly along the memory lane of our Liberation period. In particular, 4 December 1971 remains the most glorious as well as a painful day in my mind. On that day, my father, Md. Azizur Rahman, Member of the National Assembly (MNA), entered his birthplace as well as his electoral constituency, Thakurgaon, with the Mitro Bahini, a combined force of the Mukti Bahini and the Indian military. Twenty years later, on the same date, he passed away.
To preserve the record of that historic moment, he wrote a note on 4 December 1971, almost like a media briefing, using his official letterhead. As I looked at the almost brownish, time-worn page, it carries the names of many Liberation War heroes of 1971. He wrote, “On 4/12/71 Thakurgaon town and Airport area have been completely liberated by Muktibahini. Md. Azizur Rahman, MNA and Lf. General ranked Civil Affairs Advisor of the Bangladesh Forces for the War Sector 7 and Sector 6 (half) and President of District Awami League Dinajpur entered Thakurgaon Town with the Muktibahini Subedar Major Kajimuddin, Major Saduruddin, Squadron Leader and Captain Nazmul and Chowdhury Mosarraf Hossain MNA, and Fazlul Karim MPA, and Abdul Latif Sarker, president Thakurgaon Subdivision Awami League, Khademul Islam, Thakurgaon Sub divisional AL Treasurer.”
Depicting the situation of the liberated town, he continued, “The whole town was forced to be a dead city and the road side villages destroyed by Pak Forces while retreating. Pak forces also destroyed two big bridges of Thakurgaon Town. The whole population of the locality and the town were pouring in like a wave with a surge of emotional slogan Awami League, Sheikh Mujib Zindabad, Joy Bangla, and Bangla Bharat Dosti Amar Hauk, Amar Hauk in procession with Mr. Azizur Rahman MNA and their head parading the main town on…. The notable people hugged him and wept with profuse tears saying Mujib’s Muktibahini really liberated them from slavery of Pak Forces. Mr. Rahman addressed a large crowd at afternoon in the main town Chowrasta.”
On the side margin of the note, it was mentioned, “on way to Thakurgaon Mr. Rahman leading the force to Bhajanpur border, the Mukti Force drove out Pak Force from Ranishankoil and Mukti Fouj (MF) advancing towards Birganj, Pirganj any time. Pak army expected to retreat one to all. Large quantity of ammunition and ration Thakurgaon base is captured by MF.”
Indeed, before knowing the news of the Mitro Bahini forces entering Thakurgaon, a sub division of Dinajpur district, we, the family members, were deeply worried about our father, as he was with the frontline fighters pushing back the Pakistani occupation forces. Only later did we come to know from him that they launched a major push from the Tetulia and Panchagarh zone on 2 December, known as the “chicken neck,” which had been completely under the control of the Mukti Bahini since March.
The decision for such a major strike was jointly taken on 1 December in Siliguri under the command of General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Azizur Rahman, MNA in his aforesaid military capacity, the Sector Commander of Sector 7 Col. Nuruzzaman, and sector 6 Wing Commander M Khademul Bashar.
