What happened on Friday, September 24, 1971
The launch ML Pointer, carrying the Pak army from Dhaka, was attacked by the freedom fighters at Galimpur on its way to Nawabganj. When some Pak soldiers were killed in the first attack, the launch retreated. The Pak army was attacked a second time while trying to dock the launch. The fighting started in the evening and continued throughout the night.
A strong contingent of the Pak army from Comilla advanced on Nabinagar on 17 boats to attack the raiding parties of the freedom fighters. When the Pak army boats reached the village of Bidyakort, the freedom fighters carried out a surprise attack. In this attack, 5 boats of the Pak army were sunk and 25 Pak soldiers were killed, with 35 wounded.
In Sylhet, the freedom fighters ambushed small hills on the Sindarkhan-Kalenga road and waited for the Pak army to set up camp at a rest house in the Kalenga area. A large contingent of the Pak army advanced towards Kalenga keeping 25/30 Razakars in front. When the Razakars came within ambush range, the freedom fighters remained silent. After a while, when the Pak army followed, the freedom fighters launched a fierce attack on them. In this battle, 61 soldiers including an officer of the Pak army were killed and many were wounded. On this side, freedom fighter Naik Abdul Mannan was martyred.
Freedom fighters led by Captain Bhuiyan launched a massive attack on the Pakistani army in the Dharmaghar area. In this battle, Lt. Helal Murshed’s company assisted Captain Bhuiyan’s freedom fighters with flank protection on the left and Captain Nasim’s Company on flank protection on the right. Ten soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer of the Pak army, were killed. There were no casualties suffered by the freedom fighters.
In Sector 4, a group of 60 freedom fighters attacked a group of 40 Pak soldiers at Kharampur. The Pak army retaliated with 3-inch mortars, MG and LMG, with an intense battle breaking out between the two sides. 5 Pak soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in this battle.
Freedom fighters attacked the Sukhanagar railway station in Bogra at noon. The telephone line there was destroyed and the station house caught fire. The Razakars at the station fled and the freedom fighters seized 1 rifle and some military equipment.
In Sector 8, freedom fighters ambushed a platoon of Pak soldiers. 4 Pak soldiers were killed and 2 others were injured in the ambush. Later, the freedom fighters ambushed a platoon of Pak soldiers at the same place again. 4 Pak soldiers were killed this time.
In the twentieth issue of Joy Bangla (September 24, 1971), published on behalf of Bangladesh Awami League from Mujibnagar, the name of Abdul Mannan, the President of the Editorial Board, was printed in the newspaper as a publisher instead of ‘Ahmed Rafiq’.
PDP president Nurul Amin said in Dhaka that, “The release of the outlawed party Awami League Chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would undermine the very rationale for military operations in East Pakistan.”
A government spokesman for East Pakistan was quoted by the BBC as saying that a US ship operating in the Gangetic delta had been destroyed by a landmine. The ship had brought in food to East Pakistan. Recently a British ship had also been destroyed in a bomb blast at the port of Chalna. In this context, the situation in Bangladesh demands considerable significance.
The Tejgaon Peace Committee welcomed the newly appointed ministers. The meeting was chaired by Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Amir Maulana Abdur Rahim and was attended by Abbas Ali Khan, Maulana AKM Yusuf, Akhtar Uddin Ahmed, Maulana Ishaq, Aung Shu Pru Chowdhury and others. Chairman of Tejgaon Peace Committee Mahbubur Rahman read out the credentials to the ministers at the meeting.
Ghulam Azam called a meeting of the East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami. The meeting, to be held at Jamaat’s Nakhalpara provincial office on October 2, will discuss the current situation in the country, by-elections and the duties for party workers.
A T Saadi, a member of the UN General Assembly, said, “The intervention of the army was inevitable due to separatist activities. The army is doing whatever it can to bring peace back to the country. The Bangladesh movement is a conspiracy against Islam.”
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 |
