What happened on Friday, October 15, 1971
The 10th Bengal Regiment under the leadership of Captain Zafar Imam intensified its activities. On 15 October, 24 Pak soldiers were killed and 30 wounded, along with 3 bunkers being destroyed, by the Anantapur defense forces of the 10th Bengal launched small-scale attacks on Pak army bases at several other places including Parashuram and Chitolia.
On this day, freedom fighters surrounded Chhatak. When a Pak army gunboat tried to cross the river, the guerrillas sank it with rocket launchers. 3 Pak soldiers were killed in this action.
Freedom fighter Masud Hossain Alamgir (Nobel), along with only 6 companions, attacked the enemy on both sides of the Koichor rail bridge near Bogra Wapda. In the exchange of fire, 6 Pak soldiers and 10 Razakars were killed. The Pak soldiers abandoned some of their weapons and fled towards Kahalu.
In mid-October, freedom fighters planted a mine on the Sariakandi Road near Joybhoga village of the Gabtali area in Bogra. 3 Pak soldiers were killed and 2 others were injured in the blast.
Freedom fighters attacked a Pakistani check post situated two and a half miles from Barguna. The local people and the freedom fighters surrounded the check post and launched a surprise attack at around midnight. In just one and a half hours of fighting, the freedom fighters captured the check post. The freedom fighters were able to capture 28 Pakistani, of whom 6 were Pak soldiers and the rest were Razakars. An LMG, 6 Chinese 303 rifles, a great quantity of ammunition and hand grenades were seized.
The freedom fighters of Chittagong attacked Ballabhpur, Dargahat and Chayagharia. These operations killed 6 Pak soldiers and many Razakars and militias and injured 8 others.
At 7 pm on the 15th, about a battalion’s worth of Pak soldiers, along with artillery forces, launched a fierce attack on the positions of the freedom fighters at Sahebnagar, Chandana and Jangalkhola. After about three hours of fighting, the invaders retreated, unable to withstand the freedom fighters’ counter-attack. The number of enemy casualties could not be found.
At 8 am, a platoon of freedom fighters set an ambush at Barchar village half a mile away from a Pak army position in the south of Comilla. After an hour’s wait, a group of Pak soldiers came into the ambush zone on their way back to their base and the freedom fighters launched a fierce attack on the group. 12 Pak soldiers were killed and 3 others were injured here.
In Sector 8, the Pak army and freedom fighters under the leadership of Mukti Bahini Captain Mustafizur Rahman clashed at Dhopakhali. 7 Pak soldiers were killed and many others were injured in the clash. On this side, the heroic freedom fighters Havildar Abdul Gafur, Naik Shahid Ali Shaheed and Captain Mustafizur Rahman were injured.
In Sector 11, a group of 100 freedom fighters led by Captain Zia marched towards Morolganj to attack a Razakar camp. When they reached Morolganj at 3 pm, the freedom fighters divided into 5 groups and attacked the Razakars. The Razakars suffered heavy losses in this attack.
Several boats and a ship named ‘Lalsera’ anchored on the river in front of the newsprint mill in the Sundarbans were blown up with mines.
In Sector 9, led by Captain Huda, the Mukti Bahini ambushed a Pakistani patrol team at Doshatinal near Jhikargachha. 30 Pak soldiers were killed in this ambush. The freedom fighters seized a large number of arms and ammunition from the Pak army here.
The Mukti Bahini Air Force crossed the Rangpur border with two light aircraft in the morning and shelled the Pak Army position at Mughalhat. At the end of the successful attack, the Airmen returned to their bases unharmed.
A meeting was held in Tehran between the President of Pakistan Yahya and Iran’s ruler Shah Reza Pahlavi.
Governor Dr. A M Malik spoke at a rally in Sylhet and said that “A class of people have been confused by Indian propaganda and are working to destroy Pakistan.” About the freedom fighters, he said, “They are the enemies of the country. Extremist students have ruined the learning environment by abandoning educational institutions and instead of mixing with the company of miscreants. They have crippled the economy, destroying the communications system and the production system of the country. The destroyer can never seek the welfare of the nation. They are looting in secret because they do not dare to stand in front of the army. These so-called freedom fighters are Indian slaves.”
Lt. General Niazi visited the northeastern border areas of the country and praised the Razakars and other Pak collaborators for providing all possible assistance to the army. He directed the Razakars both to work jointly with the army and as an independent body.
Translated by Mohammad Towhidul Islam
Editorial contribution by Arghya Raihan
Researched, compiled & Edited by Sagar Lohani
Bangalianaa/SL
পড়ুন
ইতিহাসের নৃশংসতম গণহত্যা
দ্বিতীয় মহাকাব্য: প্রধানমন্ত্রী তাজউদ্দীন আহমদের প্রথম বেতার ভাষণ
পড়ুন এখানে
Other days of Roaring 1971:
অগ্নিঝরা একাত্তরের দিনগুলো, বাংলায় পড়ুন:
মার্চ ১৯৭১ | এপ্রিল ১৯৭১ | মে ১৯৭১ | জুন ১৯৭১ | জুলাই ১৯৭১ |
আগস্ট ১৯৭১ | সেপ্টেম্বর ১৯৭১ | অক্টোবর ১৯৭১ | নভেম্বর ১৯৭১ | ডিসেম্বর ১৯৭১ |