Akram Ahmed was a veteran of the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

as a pilot as part of

Operation Kilo Flight Kilo Flight is the code name for the Mukti Bahini combat aviation formation during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It consisted of one DHC-3 Otter plane and one Alouette III helicopter, both carrying rocket pods and machine guns for launch ...

, the beginning of

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী, Bangladesh Biman Bahini) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of B ...

. For his bravery in the war, the government of Bangladesh awarded him the title of

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom ( bn, বীর উত্তম, lit=Great Valiant Hero) is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for a living individual. Since the independence of Bang ...

, one of a few civilians to have received the award.

Early life

Career

In 1971, Akram Ahmed worked in the East Pakistan Plant Protection Directorate. At that time, the Plant Protection Directorate had its own crop duster to control insects. When the Bangladesh Liberation War started, he fled from Dhaka to India in May. There he met

Khaled Musharraf Khaled Mosharraf, Bir Uttom ( bn, খালেদ মোশাররফ; 9 November 1937 – 7 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi military officer known for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Khaled was the Sector Commander of Banglades ...

and expressed interest in taking part in the ground war. Khaled Musharraf told him to stay in Agartala for some time. A few months later the air wing of Mukti Bahini was formed. Ahmed took part in about 12 took part in the attack. After midnight on 2 December 1971 Ahmed flew a small plane from an Indian airport for Bangladesh. He was accompanied by Shamsul Alam. Their target was the oil depot in

Chittagong Port The Chittagong Port ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বন্দর) is the main seaport of Bangladesh. Located in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong and on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the port handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh's ...

. They arrived at their target after flying for about three hours. They successfully bombed the airport with no navigation equipment except a compass. After the Bangladesh Liberation War ended Ahmed joined

Bangladesh Biman Biman Bangladesh Airlines ( bn, বিমান বাংলাদেশ এয়ারলাইন্স) commonly known as Biman ( bn, বিমান), pronounced (), is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazr ...

, the national airlines of Bangladesh. He was active in the Nirmul Committee. Ahmed worked as a senior consultant of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

Death

Ahmed died on 7 December 2020, at the

Combined Military Hospital Combined Military Hospitals ( ur, , abbreviated as CMH) are Pakistan Armed Forces hospitals situated in various cantonments of Pakistan. History During the British Raj, the British Indian Army troops depended for their medical treatment enti ...

in Dhaka. He was hospitalized with pneumonia after catching

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bangladesh in March 2020. The first ...

. He was buried in Banani graveyard with a guard of honor provided by Bangladesh Air Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Akram 20th-century births 2020 deaths People from Jessore District Recipients of the Bir Uttom Burials at Banani Graveyard Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh