Shahid Shamsuzzaman ( bn, শামসুজ্জামান; died 1971) was a freedom fighter 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 ...

. He was posthumously awarded with a

Bir Uttam 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 Ban ...

by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

Early life and family

Shamsuzzaman was born into a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

family in the village of Shonar Char in Meghna, Tipperah district,

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 ...

, which was then a part of

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 ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

). He was among the two sons and three daughters of Muhammad Dawlat Husayn and Begum Ayetunnesa. Out of his siblings, only his sister Begum Momtaz is still alive.

Liberation War and death

Shamsuzzaman enrolled at the University of Dacca to study

soil science Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to th ...

began whilst he was in his third year of studies, and so he left to join the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

. He completed his training within 28 days and was then employed to the Eighth East Bengal Regiment supervised by the Z-Force. On 4 August, two companies of freedom fighters moved from the Assembly Area of Nakshi BOP (in Jhenaigati, Sherpur, under Sector No. 11) late at night and entered the FUP area. There were 25 soldiers in total but the rest of them were all quickly trained civilians. The two companies were divided into several platoons and Shamsuzzaman was a member of one of them. They fought 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 ...

in the border area. They all quietly stationed themselves at the fire base. Amin Ahmed Chowdhury (

Bir Bikram ''Bir Bikram'' ( ne, बिर बिक्रम, translit=Bira Bikrama) is a 2016 romantic comedy film directed by Milan Chams. This movie features Nepalese actors Dayahang Rai, Anoop Bikram Shahi, Deeya Pun, Arpan Thapa, Menuka Pun and Najir Hu ...

) signalled an attack. At the same time, the freedom fighters continued to move towards the goal and the artillery fire began on both sides. The undertrained freedom fighters including Shamsuzzaman joined the soldiers, approached the Pakistani army position as some platoons fired with great courage and ferocity. At that time, a Pakistani artillery shell fell on them. Several freedom fighters were martyred by the shelling. The bodies of two or three were dismembered. The freedom fighters were somewhat dispersed. But Shamsuzzaman and some others did not lose morale. Due to their indomitable spirit, courage and heroism, the Pakistanis were cornered. They continued to flee the battlefield. Shamsuzzaman has reached within 50 yards of the BOP. Suddenly he was martyred in a landmine. Many others in the mukti bahini, including the captain, were injured. Even on the verge of victory, the freedom fighters could not succeed that day. The freedom fighters could not recover the bodies of many comrades, including Shaheed Shamsuzzaman. They had to retreat as the battlefield went in favour of the Pakistan Army.

References

{{Bir Uttom Recipients of the Bir Uttom People killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 deaths