Abdus Salek Choudhury (20 September 1946 - 19 November 1972) was a veteran of the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

. For his bravery in the Bangladeshi war of independence, the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

awarded him the title of

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom () is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for living individual. Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 69 people have been awarded the Bir Utto ...

. He held the rank of captain during the war. He served as commander of Sector-2.

Career

Chowdhury was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in the 25th Frontier Force Regiment in 1966. In 1971, Chowdhury served in the Pakistan Army. At that time, he was working in

Dhaka Cantonment Dhaka Cantonment () is a cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Army and Air Force are situated within the cantonment. The cantonment is located on the north-east end of Dhaka. History ...

. He was in Dhaka in March. He fled on 22 April and joined the Bangladesh Liberation War. Initially, he fought in

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

under Khaled Musharraf (Bir Uttom). Later, when the Salda sector was formed, he was appointed as the captain of the Salda River sub-sector of sector two. When Khaled Musharraf was injured in October, Major Chowdhury became the commander of the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

'K' Force. At the end of September 1971, the entire area, including Nayanpur, near the Salda River railway station in

Brahmanbaria District Brahmanbaria District () is a district in eastern Bangladesh located in the Chittagong Division. Geographically, it is mostly farmland and is topographically part of the Gangetic Plain. It is bounded by the districts of Kishoreganj District, Kish ...

, was heavily defended by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. In September, Pakistani forces strengthened their defenses, and the ''Mukti Bahini'' attacked, led by Chowdhury. They were able to force the Pakistan Army to retreat. Chowdhury managed to attack the rear of the Pakistan Army with artillery support from the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

Legacy

On 11 February 2010, a book was published about his life titled "Major Abdus Salek Chowdhury and the Salda War".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, Abdus Salek 1946 births 1972 deaths Recipients of the Bir Uttom Bangladesh Army officers People from Dohar Upazila Mukti Bahini personnel