[Kana-Baba]

In 1971, my father was a student of Chittagong University and an active member of communist party. Early in April 1971, he came back to his village (Haidgaon, Potia, Chittagong). My grandparents thought he would not be safe there. Soon he was sent to his uncles’ home at different village (Gumdandi, Boalkhali, Chittagong).

There he spent lazy time for couple weeks. But, being an active political worker and wannabe comrade of communist party he could not seat idle for long time. Soon he established connection with freedom fighters and planned to escape to India to get training and participate in the war. He also planned to raise awareness among the youths of the village and take as many young men as possible with him to war. So he was frequently engaged in having meeting with youths.

Some Rajakar from the same village came to know about it and informed the Pakistani Army. As a result army came to village and captured my father, couple of his cousins and few other youths of that village who were preparing to go to war. The army could not recover any arms and ammunitions from my father, as my father was not officially in the war, but they have recovered many documents about communist party and liberation war.

They put my father in jail (Chittagong central jail). My father was there till Bangladesh got independence. He was beaten mercilessly in the jail. Even after 36 years of independence, my father still carries the signs of torture. One deep cut in his back due to bayonet charge has an interesting history and makes me proud of my dad - in the jail no one was allowed to smoke. My father light up a cigarette and let out the puff onto the face of a Paki Army Major just to show that even in captivity Bengalis are not scared! Eventually that major got mad at my father and charged him with bayonet. Luckily he survived!!

He came out of the jail when all the prisoners were set free after the independence. He, along with others who were captured with him, came back to village and captured the Rajakar. The ill fated Rajakar was then received ultimate punishment. He was tied to a mango tree and a magazine of bullets was unloaded on him.