Nur Mohammad Sheikh
Nur Mohammad Sheikh was a Lance Nayek in East Pakistan Rifles during the Liberation War. He was born on 26 February 1936 at village Maheskhali in Narail district. He became an orphan in childhood and had to sell his paternal landed property for his livelihood. He then joined the local Ansar Force.
He joined the then East Pakistan Rifles on 14th March, 1959. On completion of training he was posted at Dinajpur sector. He was transferred to Jessore sector headquarters in August 1970.Nur Mohammad joined the Liberation War in March 1971 while on leave at his village home. During the Liberation War he fought in Sector 8 in Jessore. He was then in charge of a regular petrol force. He was killed in an engagement with the Pakistani Army with fire for covering the extrication of fellow soldiers at Goalhati in Jessore district on 5th September, 1971. Nur Mohammad heroically died saving his compatriots and inflicting heavy casualties on his enemy.He was honoured with the highest state insignia of 'Bir Sreshtha'.
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Mohammad Ruhul Amin
Mohammad Ruhul Amin was an engineering officer in the Bangladesh Navy during the Liberation War. He was born on 1934 at village Bagh-chapra under Begumganj thana of Feni district. Ruhul Amin had his early education in Bagh-chapra Primary School and Amishpara High School.He joined the Pakistan navy in 1953 as junior mechanical engineer, and was elevated to the post of artificer in 1965. While working at the PNS Bakhtiar naval post at Chittagong Ruhul Amin left the post in April 1971 to join the liberation war.
He joined the newly formed Bangladesh Navy in September, and was placed as the Chief Artificer at the gunboat styled 'Palas'. Beer Shreshtha Shaheed Ruhul Amin was not a commissioned officer and he was never commissioned in Pakistan Navy.
Ruhul Amin was burnt to death by a shell thrown from Indian Aircraft mistakenly into the engine room of the gunboat while attempting to capture the Pak naval post and PNS Titumir at Mangla port on 10 December. He tried to save his ship valiently but ultimately could not do so and lost his life.
In recognition of his chivalry and sacrifice in the Liberation War, Ruhul Amin was awarded the title of 'Bir Sreshtha', the highest honour of the state bestowed upon the freedom fighters.
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Mahiuddin Jahangir
Mahiuddin Jahangir was a Captain in the Bangladesh Army during the Liberation War. He was born at village Rahimganj in Babuganj upazila of Barisal district in 1948. He passed Matriculation examination in 1964, I Sc in 1966, and joined Pakistan Military Academy as a cadet in 1967. He obtained commissioned rank in 1968.
Mahiuddin Jahangir was posted in the 173 Engineer Battalion in West Pakistan during the War of Liberation. With an avowed object of joining the War Mahiuddin along with three of his fellow officers managed to escape from his station on 3rd July, and passing through the inaccessible hilly tracts reached the camp of the freedom fighters at Mehdipur in Maldah district of West Bengal.
Mahiuddin Jahangir was posted in the 173 Engineer Battalion in West Pakistan during the War of Liberation. With an avowed object of joining the War Mahiuddin along with three of his fellow officers managed to escape from his station on 3rd July, and passing through the inaccessible hilly tracts reached the camp of the freedom fighters at Mehdipur in Maldah district of West Bengal.
Jahangir had displayed extraordinary skill and valour in some of the successful operations against the Pakistan occupation army, and was consequently placed in charge of the contingent of the freedom fighters deputed to capture Nawabganj in Rajshahi. Captain Mahiuddin along with Lieutenant Qayyum, Lieutenant Awwal and nearly fifty freedom fighters took position at Bargharia at the west of Nawabganj townon 10th December, 1971. At the dawn of 14th December, they crossed the Mahananda through Rehaichar on some country boats and surprised some trenches of the enemy. In a fiercely contested battle an enemy bullet struck Mahiuddin on his forehead and he succumbed to death. Undaunted the freedom fighters renewed their attacks and compelled the Pak-army to take to their heels. Mahiuddin was laid to rest at the premises of the chhota sona maosque.
He was awarded the highest recognition of bravery in the Bangladesh Army, 'Bir Sreshtha'.
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Mostafa Kamal
He joined the East Bengal Regiment as a soldier on 16 December 1967, and on completion of training he had his posting at the Fourth East Bengal Regiment in Comilla.
In March 1971, he was transferred to the headquarters of the Regiment at Brahmanbaria whence he joined the War of Liberation.
During the War he had the status of a Lance Nayek, and was posted at village Daruin in Akhaura as a section commander.
The Pak-army launched an attack on the second platoon of the Fourth East Bengal Regiment at village Daruin on 17 April. In the encounter that followed Mostafa Kamal was killed after a heroic resistance. He lies buried at village Daruin.
He was awarded the title of 'Bir Sreshtha' by the Government of Bangladesh for his sacrifice in Liberation War.
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Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman
Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman was born in 1945 at village Dumuria in Chapra thana of the district of 24 Parganas in West Bengal. After the partition of India at 1947 his family migrated to East Bengal and was permanently settled at Gharoda under Khalispur in Khulna district. He had his primary education at Khalispur Primary School and subsequently at a local night school.
He joined East Bengal Regiment on 2 February 1971 and was posted at EBR centre in Chittagong cantonment. On the face of the attack of Pakistan army on 25 March Hamidur Rahman left the cantonment for his village home, and then joined the liberation force at Dhalai on the south-eastern border of Sreemangal thana in Sylhet district.For its strategic importance the freedom fighters took a bid for capturing the Dhalai border outpost of the Pak-army. The 'C' Company of the First East Bengal Regiment was entrusted with the task with which Hamidur Rahman was enrolled. On the preceding night of 28 October, 1971 three platoons of freedom fighters silently advanced towards the outpost. The platoons while approaching near to the enemy post and were on the verge of attempting a surprise, a sudden explosion of a mine alarmed the enemies who started indiscriminate firing. A battle continued for hours; but the advance of the freedom fighters was seriously obstructed by enemy firing with LMG from south-west direction. This Light Machine Gun was to be neutralized and the onerous responsibility of doing so was reposed on Sepoy Hamidur Rahman. Instantly he crawled very close to the Light Machine Gun post undetected by the enemy. The hard ground under his chest and the volume of fire on all directions from either side could not for a moment discourage this illustrious son of the soil from fulfilling the assigned task. Not caring for life, determined Sepoy Hamidur Rahman jumped into the enemy Light Machine Gun post and engaged in hand to hand fight with the two crews and at one stage neutralized the gun at the cost of his life. Thus Dholai Border Outpost was captured. Sepoy Hamidur Rahman never knew that it was because of his supreme sacrifice that the mission was achieved.
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Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman
Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman was born in dhaka on 29 November 1941. He received his primary education at Dhaka Collegiate School. Next he got himself admitted into Pakistan Air Force Public School at Sargoda in West Pakistan. After completing his twelfth class course there he entered Pakistan Air Force Academy.
He was commissioned in June 1963 and was posted at Risalpur, West Pakistan. He successfully completed the Jet Conversion Course in Karachi before he was appointed a Jet Pilot in Peshawar.
During the Liberation War he made a secret plan of hijacking an aircraft. His aim was to join the liberation forces with the hijacked plane. On the morning of 20 August,1971 Pilot Officer Minhaz Rashid was scheduled to fly in a T-33 aircraft from Masrur Airbase in Karachi with Matiur Rahman as his trainer. He attempted to pilot a T-33 trainer to India in order to defect from the Pakistan Air Force and join the liberation movement of Bangladesh. The T-33 aircraft was code-named 'Bluebird'. However, Matiur Rahman could not take the plane out of Pakistani territory, as reportedly, the other pilot Rashid Minhas in the plane forced it to crash. The plane crashed in Thatta, a place near the Indian border. His body, which was found near the crash site was reportedly buried at the graveyard of fourth class employees at Masroor Air Base, Pakistan.
Matiur Rahman was awarded the highest state title of honour 'Bir Sreshtha' in recognition of his patriotism and sacrifice. Matiur's widow, Milly, and his two infant daughters were imprisoned for a month by Pakistan Air Force, and were released on September 29, 1971.
Matiur Rahman was awarded the highest state title of honour 'Bir Sreshtha' in recognition of his patriotism and sacrifice. Matiur's widow, Milly, and his two infant daughters were imprisoned for a month by Pakistan Air Force, and were released on September 29, 1971.
After over 30 years of negotiations, his body was finally returned to Bangladesh for a ceremonial and highly symbolic reburial in 2006. His original burial in a nondescript grave in Pakistan had been a sore point between Bangladesh and Pakistan for decades.
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Munshi Abdur Rauf
Abdur Rauf was a Lance Nayek in East Pakistan Rifles during the Liberation War. He was born in May 1943 at village Salamatpur in Boalkhali upazila of Faridpur district.
He lost his father while an infant. Poverty compelled him to seek for a job for the maintenance of his family.
In 8th May, 1963 Rauf was enrolled with the East Pakistan Rifles as a Lance Nayek. He had been serving in the East Pakistan Rifles in Chittagong till March 1971.
With the beginning of the Liberation War he made himself associated with the Eighth East Bengal Regiment. He embraced martyrdom in a battle fought against the Pakistan army at Kurighat in Chittagong Hill Tracts on 7 April 1971.
He was honoured with the highest state insignia of 'Bir Sreshtha' in recognition of his valour and sacrifice in the War of Liberation.
