After 50 years, finally, the government declares historic April 17 as the‘Mujibnagar Day” instead of ‘Republic Day’ and makes it a public holiday only in Mujibnagar, Meherpur.
A gazette notification caused a cross-section of people excited as a liberation war history has been finally recognised.
Earlier, Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj, son of first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed marched to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official residence Gono Bhaban demanding that April 10 instead of April 17 be declared the Republic Day. April 10 was the day, when the provisional government was formed in Kolkata.
However,the news dampened many, when the holiday is only for the town of Meherpur, where the exile Mujibnagar Sarkar (Government-in-Exile) took oath on April 17.
The new generation will know the importance of Mujibnagar Day. Without any formal event, the auspicious day becomes meaningless if the day is not included in the government’s national holiday calendar.
The day observes the provisional government-in-exile took oath at a mango grove in Baidyanathtala, which was later named Mujibnagar.
At the ceremony, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was declared the first president of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh while vice-president Syed Nazrul Islam became the acting president in the absence of Bangabandhu.
Tajuddin Ahmad was appointed the first prime minister, while Khandoker Moshtaque Ahmed, M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamaruzzaman were named cabinet members.
Colonel (later General) MAG Osmani was made the commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces on April 17, 1971. A serious initiative for organising the Bangladesh liberation forces was taken between 11 and 17 July. In a meeting of the sector commanders in Kolkata, four important resolutions were taken into consideration of strategic aspects of the war, existing problems and future course of resistance.
Originally the swearing-in ceremony was planned for April 15 at Chuadanga. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, the then sub-divisional police officer of Jhenaidah rehearsed with a contingent of Ansar Battalion for the guard of honour.
The event was cancelled when the occupation Pakistan forces conducted an airstrike at Chuadanga.
Meherpur,was selected for strategic reasons. If the Pakistan Airforce had attacked the venue, the fighter jets would have to cross into India, which they would avoid. Secondly, the mango grove was a natural camouflage for the event and nothing would be noticed from above.
Meanwhile, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) mobilised additional troops to thwart any ground attack and also deployed a battery of anti-aircraft guns to scare the fighter jets.
Several descriptions of the oath ceremony were narrated by Indian journalists covering the influx of tens of thousands of war refugees and genocide by the marauding Pakistan military.
At the Kolkata Press Club on April 16, 1971, two nondescript Bangladesh officials kept journalists waiting for hours. Finally, the officials arrived in the evening and expressed an apology for being late.
One was Abdul Mannan, an MNA (later the first home minister of Bangladesh in 1972) who remained quiet. The other Barrister Rahmat Ali, without giving an introduction, told a crowd of journalists that they are requested to return to the press club for an important announcement the following morning.
Early in the morning, Kolkata Press Club was thronged by local and foreign journalists accompanied by a battery of television camerapersons and press photographers.
Ali announced: “Gentlemen, on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh, I invite you to our country,” this took the journalists by disbelief as they did not expect to become a part of Liberation War history as it unfolded in front of them.
The motorcade carried hordes of journalists and we’re not sure where they were going? Whom they would meet? Finally, what they would witness.
The media entourage was worried about what kind of dispatch they would send to their newsroom. When the vehicles stopped at a mango grove in Meherpur, inside Bangladesh near the Indian border, the Kolkata based journalists dubbed the place Mujibnagar. Hence, Meherpur became Mujibnagar in the Indian press.
Of course, India and the entire world were taken by surprise that Bangladesh formally announced the “Proclamation of Bangladesh Independence” and the formation of a government-in-exile to coordinate the Liberation War.
What surprised many was that among the Kolkata media circle, none leaked the story of the secret endeavour of the Mujibnagar episode in advance. The thoughtful journalists maintained top secrecy to avoid the enemies being alerted from a single line published in any Indian media.
Saleem Samad, is an independent journalist, media rights defender, recipient of Ashoka Fellowship and Hellman-Hammett Award. He could be reached at <saleemsamad@hotmail.com>; Twitter @saleemsamad
