Mamun Mahmud, born Salauddin Mahmud, (17 November 1928 – 26 March 1971) was a police officer and a martyr of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Early life

Mahmud was born on 17 November 1928 in Chittagong,

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His mother, Begum Shamsunnahar Mahmud, was a female educationalist and social worker in Bengal. His father, Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, was the Superintendent of

Calcutta Medical College Calcutta Medical College, officially Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the oldest existing hospital in Asia. The institute was established on 28 January 1835 by L ...

and Surgeon General of East Pakistan. His maternal uncle,

Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury (1906 – 15 April 1966) was a politician, journalist, sportsman and writer from erstwhile East Bengal, now Bangladesh, who served in the political spheres of British India and Pakistan. Early life and education Chow ...

, was a close friend of the poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Mahmud had one sibling, a younger brother. Mahmud studied at the Pratt Memorial School and graduated from

Ballygunge Government High School Ballygunge Government High School (BGHS) is a school in West Bengal, India. This is a boys' only school for secondary and higher secondary level students. Its medium of instruction is English. It was once considered one of the best Bengali medi ...

in 1942. He graduated from Presidency College in 1943 and from

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

in 1947. He graduated from the University of Dhaka with a Masters in Public Relations in 1949.

Career

Mahmud successfully took the

Central Superior Services The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority, and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...

exam of Pakistan and joined government service as a police officer in 1951. He served as the

Deputy Inspector General of Police A Deputy Inspector General of Police (abbreviated as DIG) is a high-ranking official position in Police in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. India Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) is a rank i ...

and the Superintendent of Police of

Kurigram Kurigram District ( bn, কুড়িগ্রাম) is a district of Bangladesh in the Rangpur Division. The district is located in northern Bangladesh along the country's border with India. Under Indian rule, the area was organized as a mahakum ...

, Brahmanbaria,

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Faridpur,

Khulna Khulna ( bn, খুলনা, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of Khulna District and Khulna Division. Khulna's economy is the third-largest in Bangladesh, contributing $53 b ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...

and Rajshahi. In 1954 while stationed in Kurigram he founded the Kurigram Cricket Club. He had served as the chairperson of the Pakistan Football Federation Referees Board. He edited Detective, a police journal, in 1956. On 17 January 1970, Mahmud refused orders to fire at citizens protesting a rally of Abul A'la Maududi in Dhaka. He was transferred to Mymensingh after the incident in Dhaka. In 1971, Mahmud was the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Rajshahi. On 3 March 1971, he hoisted a black flag at his residence protesting the killing of Bengali civilians by Pakistan Army. He had also refused to arrest the guards of the treasury house in Rajshahi who refused to allow a Pakistan Army captain access on 26 March 1971.

Personal life

Mamun Mahmud was married to Moshfeqa Mahmud on 26 March 1954. Their daughter Zeba Mahmud was born in 1956 and their son Javed Mahmud was born in 1960.

Disappearance

On the evening of 26 March 1971, Mahmud was celebrating his 17th marriage anniversary with his wife and two children at their home in Rajshahi when he was called to the Rajshahi Cantonment Area to meet Brigadier General Abdullah. He, his driver, and his bodyguard were never seen again since that night. All India Radio announced his death on 13 April 1971. On 14 December 1995, the government of Bangladesh issued stamps in his name and named a road after him in Dhaka. Shahid Mamun Mahmud Police Lines School and College in Rajshahi was named after him.

References

{{Liberation of Bangladesh 1928 births 1971 deaths People from Noakhali District People killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War Recipients of the Independence Day Award Pakistani torture victims Mukti Bahini personnel