The unforgettable role of Gorkha Regiment in vanquishing Pakistani forces

On a freezing December night in 1971, a guard from a Gorkha Regiment's platoon came across a telephone line. Second Lieutenant Teja Bedi, a brave Gorkha military officer, along with a section of soldiers began searching for the source of the line.

After walking around 300 yards, Teja found himself facing a set of bunkers, trenches, antennas, and a telephone exchange. It was the headquarters of the 32 Baloch battalion.

In that daring operation, Teja single-handedly captured the headquarters along with the commanding officer and the regimental medical officer of the Pakistan army's 52nd battalion of the Baloch Regiment. The regimental flag is still displayed upside down in the officers' mess of the unit as a prized possession.

"The Battle of Bogura is unique in the history of the 1971 Liberation War as it was perhaps the only battle that was fought in built-up areas. An unimaginable level of ferocity between the two foes was witnessed as every inch of ground was contested for," Lieutenant General (retd) JBS Yadava, who was awarded the prestigious Vir Chakra for gallantry in the war, wrote in Indian Defence Review.   

Alongside freedom fighters, the Gorkha Regiment played a crucial role in expediting the war in Sector 7, which covered Bogura, Naogaon and Joypurhat. Freedom fighters in Bogura still reminisce about the days. 

Freedom fighter Afsar Ali received training at Panighata camp in Siliguri where most of the trainers were military officers from the Gorkha Regiment.

"Our operation area was from Santahar's Halhaldia Bridge to Joypurhat, which was under Bogura. Our main job was to fight the Pakistani forces in Badalgachi, Naogaon and Dhamoirhat in six different groups," said Afsar, who sustained injuries in the war. 

The Pakistani forces had set up a camp at the site of Buddha Bihar in Paharpur under Naogaon. Freedom fighters devised a plan to launch an attack on the camp on October 7. Then the Gorkha Regiment indirectly helped freedom fighters a lot to mount the attack on this strategically important place.    

The news of the fight aired on Bangladesh Betar. Five freedom fighters died during the operation. A freedom fighter named Fazlu was picked up by Pakistani forces from Akkelpur.

"Then we launched an operation on Badalgachi Police Station, with guerrillas blowing it up. At the same time, the guerrillas were launching operations in Dhamoirhat, Jamalganj and Akkelpur," Afsar said.  

Following the recognition of Bangladesh as a country, a large number of Gorkha Regiment forces came here with heavy arms through the Hili border in Dinajpur. They began fighting in the war directly. They also helped freedom fighters in different operations from Halhaldia Bridge to Joypurhat.

Afsar, now the Joypurhat Sadar Muktijoddha commander, vividly remembers those eventful days in the midst of the war. He said 55 guerrillas divided into six groups had fought under Kazi Faramzul Haque Panna's command. They fought against the Pakistani forces in different places of Bogura, Naogaon and Joypurhat.    

In the history of the war, December 6, 1971, marked a milestone. On that very day, Bhutan recognised Bangladesh as a country.

"This incident rattled the Pakistani forces. Freedom fighters came to understand that victory was close. Sensing the utter defeat of the Pakistani forces, our freedom fighters made all-out efforts to resist them," said Afsar.

During the war, Gour Gopal Goswami fought on the frontline under Sector 7. He basically fought in the eastern area of Bogura, including Sariakandi and Gabtali.

The Gorkha forces came to Bangladesh after India formally recognised it as a sovereign country on December 7. They came with heavy armour, including tanks.

"While the Gorkha forces were coming to Bangladesh through the Hili border, they suffered a major setback. The Pakistani forces had built a bunker on the border. On many occasions, the Pakistani forces took our women and girls and tortured them in the bunker," said Goswami, former Muktijoddha commander of Shajahanpur upazila Muktijoddha Command Council.

"As the Gorkha forces were entering Bangladesh, the Pakistani forces challenged them. During the confrontation, many Gorkha members were killed. However, the Pakistani forces failed to resist the Gorkha soldiers who finally entered Bangladesh beating the odds," he continued. 

In the middle of the war, freedom fighters were sure that victory was imminent. Until then, they could not openly fight the Pakistani forces on the eastern side of the district.

"Following the arrival of the Gorkha forces in Bogura, we came out in public to fight against the Pakistani forces. Especially, when we saw Indian army aircraft hovering overhead, it gave us huge courage," said Goswami.

He said, they were not with the Gorkha forces, who began taking positions in different places of Joypurhat and adjacent areas.

Meanwhile, many Pakistani soldiers began moving towards Dhaka. At that point, freedom fighters attacked Pakistani forces at Dublagari Hut area on Sherpur road in Shahjahanpur upazila.

In that operation, a freedom fighter was killed, but the fellow soldiers succeeded in killing eight to ten members of the Pakistani forces.

"Basically, after the arrival of Indian army members in Bogura, the possibility of victory was looming large. Bogura became free from the clutches of the Pakistani army on December 13," wrote Yadava.  

"On that very day, the brave freedom fighters brought the Pakistani forces to their knees in Phulbari area and compelled them to surrender. Brigadier Prem Singh, brigade commander of the 64th Mountain Regiment, spearheaded the fight."