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 mo ...

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, 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