Taramon Bibi
Bir Protik ( – 1 December 2018) was one of the two female freedom fighters in
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 ...
obtaining the
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 ...
award.
She engaged in direct combat during the
liberation war of Bangladesh
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 armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali n ...
in 1971 as a member of 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 ...
(Liberation Army) which was a guerrilla force that fought against the Pakistan military.
Biography
Bibi was born in Shankar Madhabpur village,
Kurigram District 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 ...
to Abdus Sobhan and Kulsum Bewa. She was hired by the Mukti Bahini as a help cook and clean the camp when she was 16. She was interested in the war effort and asked Havildar Muhit in infantry regiment of Sector 11 to train. He trained her on the usage of
.303 British
The .303 British (designated as the 303 British by the C.I.P. and SAAMI) or 7.7×56mmR, is a calibre rimmed rifle cartridge. The .303 inch bore diameter is measured between rifling lands as is the common practice in Europe which follows th ...
rifle and submachine guns. She was in
Sector 11 under the leadership of sector commander
Abu Taher
Abu Taher ( bn, আবু তাহের) (14 November 1938 – 21 July 1976) was a Bengali military serviceman, who served in the Pakistan Army, and later in BDF. He crossed into India around early August and reported to the Indian autho ...
.
Taramon Bibi died at her residence at
Char Rajibpur Upazila
Char Rajibpur ( bn, চর রাজিবপুর) is an upazila of Kurigram District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.
Geography
Char Rajibpur is located at . It has 11,124 households and a total area 111.03 km2.
Demographics
As of ...
, Kurigram, at 1:30am on 1 December 2018.
Award
After the war, she was awarded Bir Protik (Symbol of Valour) by Bangladesh government in 1973.
But her whereabouts were unknown and the award was never handed over to her. She herself remained unaware of this until 1995 when a researcher from
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 ...
discovered her. She was finally given her award by then Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
on 19 December 1995.
Personal life
Bibi was married to Abdul Majid.
Together they had a son, Abu Taher, and a daughter.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibi, Taramon
1950s births
2018 deaths
People from Kurigram District
Women in war in Bangladesh
Recipients of the Bir Protik
Women in warfare post-1945
Bangladeshi women activists
Mukti Bahini personnel
Date of birth missing