A forgotten war hero
A forgotten war hero
Death anniversary of Bir Shrestha Hamidur Rahman again passes off unnoticed: No memorial built
Rajat Kanti Goswami, Moulvibazar
As in the past, the 35th death anniversary of Bir Shrestha Sepoy Hamidur Rahman passed off unnoticed this year also, without any programme by any organisation.
There was none to recollect the galantry of the great freedom fighter at Dhalai in Moulvibazar, where he laid down his life on October 28, 1971, fighting for independence.
Even after 34 years of his death, there is no monument built to honour the hero.
Hamidur Rahman was born in Dumuria village in 24-Pargana district in West Bengal in 1944. His family later settled at Khalishpur village in Khulna.
Hamidur joined the then East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) in late 1970. After the crackdown by the Pakistani occupation forces, the young man left EPR and joined the Liberation War.
Hamidur Rahman was awarded the highest state honour Bir Shrestha for his gallantry during the Liberation War but nothing was done to preserve his memory after the war.
In 1992, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) erected a memorial plaque at Dhalai BoP (border outpost).
The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs took up a project to build a monument at Dhalai in memory of Hamidur Rahman. Seventy-four decimal lands were acquired from Dhalai Tea Garden for the project. Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman laid the foundation of the monument on April 30, 2003.
But since then there has been no further step to implement the project.