পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (নবম খণ্ড).pdf/৭৭

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র : নবম খণ্ড
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barricade. Public did not retaliate much with us probably thinking that we belonged to the E Bengal Regiment They were not very happy either with us. Some of the young students standing at a distance asked Maj (now Col) Shawkat- “Are not you in our group?” They probably expected E Bengal Regiment to join the public then and there, Major (now Col) Shawkat gave a little smile and replied-"Let the time come you will see."

 We could smell the overall situation all around was getting worse. Public were shouting all over the city. Procc3ssions were marching, barricades were made to stop communication. Most of the shops were closed, Groups of people were sitting here and there and discussing god knows what. One of the company of 8E Bengal under Sub Abdul Quader was sent along with a company of 20 Baluch to Chittagong Jetty to unload the arms- ammunitions freshly brought by SHAMS form Pakistan. Army was trying to unload the ship. But the public did not allow him to do that. We felt that a serious incident will happen.

 I myself with Lt. (now Captain) Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury were3 detailed in the evening with a company to guard the sholashahar Cantonment road by night so that no more barricades were put there. 2/Lt. Mohammed Humayun (Pak Offr) was also with me. Sometime at 11 o'clock night, while having rest with the coy at K- Rahman's COCA COLA factory, I received a tel call from the city. An unknown person in a panic and hurry was trying to pass an important message to some of his relative in the factory and asked my identity. I was no duty here3, 1 replied. The man thought me as one of the Police guard there in the factory and said- “we have received a telephone call now from Dacca that firing has started there, Pakistanis have started killing the public en mass and all are trying to face them." I thanked the unknown man for giving me such an information in telephone and dropped the receiver.

 As we approached a liule towards our unit at Sholashahar I found Subedar Sabed Ali Sarkar rushing towards me and whispered in Bengali to reach the unit line immediately. I understood the rest. Rushed with my troops at sholashahar and found Major (now Brig) Ziaur Rahman getting all of our troops closed together in the line.

 It took about an hour to get all the scattered troops from different places together. Maj (now Brig) Ziaur Rahman took over the Command of 8E Bengal and addressed the troops for few minutes- Tigers, Pakistanis have started killing Bengalis en mass they have already disarmed some of the E Bengal battalions, they have decided to kill all of us. They already trapped me but luckily I was saved. We will have to organize quickly and face them at any cost to save the country, are you all ready to do that with me? We all agreed and promised by the name of Allah to do that.

 One company of 8E Bengal had already moved few days ago as advance party to Kharia Cantt. In Pakistan. One company had to come from 5th, 6th and 7th E Bengal battalions in Pakistan. About a company strength troops had gone on privilege leave before they were proceeding to kharia; and a total of about 250 troops were available with 8E Bengla at that moment. Few months ago. On 30th October 1970 the battalion was born at sholashahar. As the unit was due for moving to kharia, all arms