Fundamentalism portends to drag Bangladesh down
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Today Bangladesh is celebrating the 53rd anniversary of its liberation—a day I still remember vividly. I was then a student at the government inter-college, Prayagraj (then Allahabad).
That day, just before the morning assembly dispersed, Mr Khanwalkar, the principal, held us back for a special address. Everyone waited with a heightened anticipation. When he spoke, he was beaming; tears welled up in his eyes and his voice choked with emotion.
He said the Indian army had forced close to a lakh of Pakistani soldiers to surrender in Dhaka. We had won the war, and Bangladesh was liberated. His words electrified the atmosphere.
We rushed out of the college despite teachers’ admonition and kept cheering on the streets for hours on end. In January 1972, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arrived in India after his release from a prison in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. On 10 January 1972, he addressed his nation live on All India Radio.
I am not sure how many understood his speech in Bengali, but people were riveted by the emotions his voice exuded. People were filled with joy believing that from now on India and Bangladesh would work together. Also read | Separatist sparks in Punjab must be promptly doused Today the foundations of that belief stand shaken.
Anti-India feelings and atrocities against the minority Hindus are a reality now in Bangladesh. Such violence isn’t new to Bangladesh. Within four years of assuming charge of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu and his entire family, except Sheikh Hasina, were massacred in a military coup.
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