Noorjahan Kakon Bibi

Bir Protik Bir Protik ( bn, বীর প্রতীক ''Bīr Pratīk'', "Symbol of Bravery or Idol of Courage") is the fourth highest gallantry award in Bangladesh. Recipients This award was declared on 15 December 1973. A total of 426 people have rece ...

( bn, কাঁকন বিবি, kha, Kaket Hanchiata) was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

and

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

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 ...

of 1971. She was arrested and brutally tortured by the

Pakistan army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

. She is one of two female freedom fighters honored with the

award in 1996, the fourth highest honor in Bangladesh, due to her gallant contribution in the liberation war.

Personal life

Noorjahan Kakon Bibi (originally named Kaket Hennyata, other sources state Kaket Hanchiata) was born in a

Khasi Khasi may refer to: * Khasi people, an ethnic group of Meghalaya, India * Khasi language, a major Austroasiatic language spoken in Meghalaya, India * Khāṣi language, an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India See also * Khasi Hills * Gh ...

family at Nayrai Khasia Palli,

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Her sister was married to a member of the border guards. She married Shaheed Ali of

Derai Upazila Derai ( bn, দিরাই) is an upazila (sub-district) of the Sunamganj District in northeastern Bangladesh, part of the Sylhet Division. History Derai was previously known as Babaganj Bazar. It was home to two influential Hindu residents; ...

in 1970. After her marriage, her name was changed to Noorjahan Begum but she was mostly known as Kakon Bibi. She gave birth to a daughter, Sakhina, on 16 March 1971. Because of discrimination against girls in

, her husband was displeased and they got separated. Later she married Abdul Majid Khan, and they had a son who died at birth. Majid was living in EPR camp where he also worked. After two months, she brought Sakhina from her previous home. Upon returning, she couldn't find her husband. Hearing that Majid had been transferred to a camp of

Dowarabazar Upazila Dowarabazar ( bn, দোয়ারাবাজার) is an upazila of Sunamganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Geography Dowarabazar is located at . It has 27112 households and total area 324.19 km2 and bounded by the In ...

, she went there.

Liberation war

A war was happening in the Dowarabazar area when Kakon went there to search for her husband. She went to Tengratilla camp. The

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

captured her in a bunker and she faced inhuman physical and mental torture for many days. She lost hope of finding her husband and joined Muktibahini (the guerrilla

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

formed by the Bangladesh military, paramilitary and civilians during the War of Liberation). Freedom fighter Rahmat Ali introduced her to sector five commander,

Mir Shawkat Ali Mir Shawkat Ali, Bir Uttom (11 January 1938 - 20 November 2010) was a general in Bangladesh Army and also a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He was a freedom fighter during Bangladesh liberation war and a Sector Commander of the ...

. Shawkat called Kakon Bibi his sister of religion. With his influence, she started working as a secret agent under a disguise of a beggar. In April 1971, Kakon Bibi was captured by the

Razakar Razakar (رضا کار) is etymologically an Arabic word which literally means volunteer. The word is also common in Urdu language as a loanword. On the other hand, in Bangladesh, razakar is a pejorative word meaning a traitor or Judas. In Pakista ...

s while spying in

Bangla bazar Bangla Bazar ( bn, বাংলা বাজার) is the oldest neighbourhood of Dhaka, which existed before Mughal Period. Currently, the largest publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Dowarabazar Upazila Dowarabazar ( bn, দোয়ারাবাজার) is an upazila of Sunamganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Geography Dowarabazar is located at . It has 27112 households and total area 324.19 km2 and bounded by the In ...

. They tortured her immensely including burning with a hot iron rod. Sexual torture was also intensified. Later, they took her to the Pakistani camp in Tengratilla. There, she told the Pakistani commander that she is the wife of Pakistani soldier Abdul Majid Khan and she came in search of him. The Pakistani commander believed her. Instead, she was proposed to work for the Pakistanis. She agreed and began to help freedom fighters providing information in a more effective way. This was primarily achieved through receiving an identification card from the Pakistani commander. With that ID card she started going to the Pakistani camp more often and with greater ease and supplied the freedom fighters with important information. Later Kakon took part in nearly 20 battlefronts. In November, she was engaged in a front war in Tengratilla where she was deeply injured. The injury marks were visible on her knee till her death.

Death

Kakon Bibi was hospitalised in 2017 after a heart attack. She died of pneumonia at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital on 21 March 2018. At the time of her death, Kakon Bibi's age could not be verified. Reports range from 85 or 90 to an age of 103.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibi, Kakon Year of birth uncertain 20th-century births 2018 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Bangladesh People from Derai Upazila Khasi people Women in war in Bangladesh Women in warfare post-1945 Mukti Bahini personnel