March 1971 in memory

On 1 March 1971, we were sitting for the 1967-70 Honours final exams on the third floor of Dhaka University's Faculty of Arts building. Many of us could not concentrate on the answer script as our minds remained clouded with speculations about political developments. 

Students were already deeply involved in the ongoing politics of the country as it became a question of our rights and existence. We were aware that Dhaka University has always remained at the centre of all political movements since 1952.

Examinations were running smoothly, but it was around noon when a thunderous roar of a thousand voices came from outside and we could guess that all was not well on the political front. President Yahya Khan had just called off the meeting that was scheduled to take place on 3 March. The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the rightful demands of the Awami League on the basis of the six-point demands.   

The reaction of the students was apt and spontaneous. Slogans against the Pakistani regime shook the faculty building. Everyone in the exam hall submitted the half-finished script and rushed out to join the rallies. Outside was a picture never seen before. 

The entire campus had turned into a sea of human heads. Student leaders addressed small groups and instructed them about the next move. It was decided that we all would go to Bangabandu's house. Meanwhile, students from Dhaka College, Eden College and other educational institutes came with rallies to DU campus. They all chanted slogans denouncing the oppressive Pakistani regime asking for total freedom of East Pakistan.

DUCSU leaders, who now had only one demand — freedom — worked fast to seize the opportunity. They made a flag of independent Bangladesh and on 2 March, asked students to gather around Madhur Canteen. Later, the flag was hoisted on one of the arts faculty buildings to the great joy of the students. 

The slogan 'Joy Bangla' resonated throughout the campus in a thousand voices, instilling the dream for an independent country of our own.  It was indeed a momentous event as we witnessed the making of history.

The next historic event that we witnessed was the overwhelming presence of the common people in the 7 March public meeting at the Suhrawardy Uddyan. Thousands of rallies started to come from all directions — from Narayanganj, from Savar, from Tongi, from Keraniganj, from Mirpur and so on. Never before had the Racecourse Maidan been filled to the brim with over hundred thousand people, chanting 'Joy Bangla' and 'Bir Bangali Ostro Dhoro, Bangladesh Shadhin Koro' with unparalleled zeal and passion. It was majestic, it was invigorating, it was unreal.

The 7 March iconic speech by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman not only inspired the Bangalis to prepare for the much coveted freedom, it also clearly sent the message to the Pakistanis to come to their senses and respect the verdict of the people as spelled out in the 1970 general election. 

At the public meeting, we heard of a rumour that Pakistanis would attempt to assassinate Bangabandhu at the venue. Accordingly, his personal bodyguards made an impenetrable defence system around him until he reached home after the meeting. Bangabandhu instructed all to observe non-cooperation with the authority in a peaceful manner.     

Coming back home at Wari, we started to contact our seniors who were actively involved in politics and had close contacts with party leaders. They belonged to Awami League, Communist Party (Moscow) and Communist Party (China). We prepared a plan to ensure the safety of the large number of non-Bangalis who lived in Wari. Things took a serious turn when a group of Bihari people attacked some Hindu shops in Thatari Bazar. From that day, we started nightly patrolling of Wari right up to Thatari Bazar. This vigilance continued up to 24 March.

25 March: A night to remember

All sorts of scary news were floating around Dhaka as it turned into a rumour hub on 25 March. A student from Iqbal Hall came to Wari and told us that young men, especially college and university students, would be picked up by the army and killed. He told us to remain indoors after sunset. We met some of the junior student leaders and told them about the message of our friend from Iqbal Hall. They said they had also heard something like that from different sources.

As agreed, we went home early and closed all the windows and locked the main gate. An uncanny hush descended upon Wari though normally it was a busy residential area. We finished our dinner by 8pm and switched off the lights except for one in a room that was not visible from the road. The silence outside became unbearable. It was around 11:30pm when a huge blast nearby shook our house like a leaf and we hit the floor to take cover. 

Bursts of machine gun fire came from all directions. We could hear the sound of running feet on the streets near our house. The sky turned crimson as the shanties burned with people trapped inside. It was a dreadful night no one can ever forget.

The curfew was lifted for half a day on 27 March so that people could buy essentials. Outside, we saw people running towards the one-storey Ittefaq building at Tikatuli, which took a close range volley from an army tank. The front portion was in total ruins. Smoke was still rising from the stack of newsprint inside. The charred bodies of some machine operators was a sight not for the faint-hearted.

Back in Wari, we were surprised to find the local Bihari men roaming the streets with iron rods looking menacingly at us. It was difficult to comprehend that we had protected these people from the notorious goondas for nearly a month. There was no sign of gratitude on their faces.                      

On 29 March we left Dhaka for our village.

Shahnoor Wahid is a senior journalist.