The Mujib Bahini, also known as Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF), was an armed force formed during 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 ...
to fight against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in 1971.
The force was mainly composed of activists drawn from the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
and its student front, the
Chhatra League
The Bangladesh Chhatra League ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ছাত্রলীগ; translation: Bangladesh Students' League; BSL), formerly known as the East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' po ...
. At its height, it had reportedly 13,000 members.
It was organised with the active assistance of Major General Sujan Singh Uban of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
.
Serajul Alam Khan
Serajul Alam Khan (also known as "Dada" and "Dadabhai"; born January 6, 1941) is a Bangladeshi political analyst, philosopher and writer. He is one of the founders of Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad (English: Independent Bengal Revolutionary C ...
and
Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani
Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani (4 December 1939 – 15 August 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the nephew of the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and founded the Mujib Bahini (Bangladesh Liberation Force-BLF) one of the m ...
,
Tofael Ahmed and
Abdur Razzaq, MP were the organizers of this force.
1971 War of Independence
Mujib Bahini's exact involvement in the war is disputed, with
Zafrullah Chowdhury
Zafrullah Chowdhury (born 27 December 1941) is a Bangladeshi public health activist. He is the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra (meaning the People's Health Center in Bengali), a rural healthcare organisation. Dr. Chowdhury is known more for his ...
stating, "The Mujib Bahini did not fight the liberation war."
In 2014,
A. K. Khandker
Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Abdul Karim Khandker, Bir Uttom (born 1930) is a former planning minister of the Government of Bangladesh. He is a retired diplomat and was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Banglad ...
was sued for accusing the Mujib Bahini of
hooliganism
Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events.
Etymology
There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a d ...
and
looting
Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
during the war in his book in his book ''1971: Bhetore Baire''.
Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury of
Dhaka University
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
opined that four unnamed leaders of Mujib Bahini were more successful at creating a rift between
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengalis, Beng ...
and
Tajuddin Ahmad
Tajuddin Ahmad ( bn, তাজউদ্দীন আহমদ; ; 23 July 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He led the Provisional Government of Bangladesh as its prime minister during the Bangladesh Liberat ...
than
Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed, creating difficulties for Ahmad.
After 1971
After 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, the Mujib Bahini was merged with the auxiliary
Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini
The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini ( bn, জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী, lit=National Defense Force) was a Bangladeshi para-military force formed in 1972 by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government.
Initially formed to curb the insur ...
, which became infamous for its own human rights abuses.
Recollection of former members
Zainal Abedin, a former student leader and a freedom fighter who crossed over to
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 ...
in 1971 and joined the Mujib Bahini, reminiscing about how the Indian handlers and
RAW
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
agents treated them
Some former members were rewarded by the
Indian government
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
and decided to become Indian citizens themselves. Bimal Pramanik, the director of Centre for Research in India-Bangladesh Relations, was a former sector commander of Mujib Bahini. He fled Bangladesh in the aftermath of
Mujib's assassination in 1975 and shifted to
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
in 1976; he has been living in the city since then.
See also
*
Kader Bahini Kader may refer to:
* ''Kader'' (film), a 2006 Turkish drama film
*Kader Group, a toy manufacturer of Hong Kong
People with the given name
* Kader Abdolah (born 1954), Iranian-Dutch writer, poet and columnist.
*Kader Asmal (1934–2011), South Af ...
*
Human rights in Bangladesh
Human rights in Bangladesh are enshrined as fundamental rights in Part III of the Constitution of Bangladesh. However, constitutional and legal experts believe many of the country's laws require reform to enforce fundamental rights and reflect de ...
*
Freedom of religion in Bangladesh
In the Constitution of Bangladesh, Islam is referred to twice in the introduction and Part I of the constitution. The document begins with the Islamic phrase ''Basmala'' () which in English is translated as “In the name of Allah, the Beneficen ...
References
{{Liberation of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Liberation War
Mukti Bahini