By Md. Mamun Islam 
 
RANGPUR, March 28, 2025, (BSS) – At the beginning of the country’s Great War of Liberation on March 28, 1971, thousands of freedom-loving fearless people of the district surrounded the Rangpur Cantonment to capture it at any cost for strategic reason.

The brave people surrounded the Rangpur Cantonment with indigenous weapons like bamboo sticks, bows and arrows, axes and spears, creating a unique history. 
 
Participating in this unequal campaign, hundreds of people laid their lives setting up a unique example of heroism and bravery of the united people from all walks of life of Rangpur region. 
 
This was a rare example of bravery in the history of the Great War of Liberation. The historic Cantonment Siege Day of Rangpur was observed with due honour and in a befitting manner today.
 
Even after 54 years of Bangladesh's independence, the day has not been recognized nationally. However, there is no other example of besieging the cantonment with bamboo sticks, bows and arrows, axes, and spears in the world history. 
 
Eyewitnesses and freedom fighters of the district said that on March 3, at the beginning of the volatile month in 1971, a young boy named Shanku Samajdar, 12, from Rangpur was martyred in gun fire while he was participating in a massive protest procession. 
 
In the meantime, on March 24, meat vendor (butcher) Shaheed Ali attacked a jeep of the Pakistani army in the Nisbetganj area near the cantonment, snatched their weapons and hacked and killed a Pakistani soldier named Abbasi by an axe. 
 
Tension spread throughout the city over this incident of bravery of the butcher. The Pakistani army erupted in anger. The freedom-loving people of Rangpur also started preparing to surround the cantonment. 
 
On March 28, the date and time for the cantonment siege were announced by beating drums in various markets and areas. 
 
The war of liberation movement received an unprecedented response on March 28, 1971. From that morning, people from different areas of Rangpur started organizing to occupy the cantonment. 
 
Students, farmers, daily wage workers, and people of all professions, regardless of religion or caste, from different areas including Rangpur Sadar, Gangachara, Badarganj and Mithapukur upazila gathered in the Nisbetganj area with axes, spades, axes, spears, and spears. 
 
Especially the brave indigenous Santal community people came to surround the cantonment with bows and arrows. 
 
Thousands of people started moving towards the cantonment from Nishbetganj area on the Ghagot river bank when the Pakistani army opened fire with machine guns in the afternoon. 
 
In just 5 minutes, the area was paralyzed. Hundreds of bodies were lying on the banks of the Ghagot River there. The scattered bodies were collected in one place and burned.
 
Those who were still alive were stabbed to death with bayonets. 
 
Major Nasir Uddin of the 29th Cavalry Regiment, who was an eyewitness to the incident and was working in Rangpur Cantonment at that time, has narrated these facts in his book 'Juddhe Juddhe Swadhinota' (Freedom in War). 
 
He describes, ‘The sky and air of the entire area became heavy with the cries of the wounded. Before evening that day, as ordered, 500 to 600 bodies were doused with petrol and set on fire. 
 
The fire burned brightly. This fire was much redder than any other fire. This flame burns much more intensely. “I saw that fire from very close quarters. I saw how helpless freedom-loving human beings were burning” he wrote.
 
According to the famous book, innumerable common people irrespective of caste, creed and religion from many villages rushed toward Nishbetganj. 
 
"The independence-seeker Bangalee Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, Oraon, Santal and other ethnic communities equipped with lethal and sharp weapons, spears, arrows and bows attempted to capture the cantonment," the book wrote. 
 
"It was about 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm when thousands of independence-seeker Bangalees had been assembling from the South and South-Western areas to capture the cantonment at any cost," the book wrote. 
 
At one stage, CPB leader late Comrade Soyer Uddin and language movement veteran Majibar Rahman Master addressed a spontaneous gathering at Nishbetganj near the cantonment with Sheikh Amjad Hossain in the chair. 
 
"The 23rd Brigade Headquarters of the Pakistani Army was then stationed at Rangpur cantonment and the 3rd Bengal, 26th Regiment at Saidpur, 23rd Cavalry Regiment and its associate forces and 29th Tank Bahini were under its command," the book wrote. 
 
Brigadier General Abdullah Malik was the then Brigade Commander and the cantonment was equipped with modern automatic heavy arms, artillery, tanks and ammunition with huge Pakistani forces and non-Bengali Beharis. 
 
The Pakistani forces and the Beharis soon showered automatic gunfire towards the independence-seeker Bangalees. Over 600 Bangalees were killed by the most heinous genocide there and injuring hundreds more. 
 
"The vast green grass fields on the Ghagot river bank turned into a blood-sea. The war criminals Brigadier General Malik, Colonel Sagir and non-Bengali Bihari soldiers and officers, committed the fearful genocide," the book mentioned. 
 
"The happenings were witnessed by Bangalee Officers Major Nasir Uddin, Lieutenant Badiuzzaman and Lieutenant Hashem and at one stage Colonel Sagir became very angry on them for their silence after the whole genocide was completed," the book quoted. 
 
Mahbubar Rahman, a heroic freedom fighter who participated in the attack on the cantonment that day, said the then liberation war organizers organised the people of Rangpur for capturing the cantonment.
 
Thousands of angry people crazy with the intoxication of freedom, from different places gathered on the Ghagot river banks at Nishbetganj near the cantonment, carrying bows and arrows, axes, spears and bamboo sticks that day. 
 
He said that the archers of the small ethnic group Oraon community and the Santals, played a leading role in this attack. Divided into several groups, they tried to enter the Rangpur cantonment. 
 
At that time, bullets started pouring from the cantonment. Many people were martyred there. In this frontal battle that day, many unarmed people, both known and unknown, were martyred by the Pakistani invaders. Countless were injured. 
 
This unprecedented heroism and supreme sacrifice of the Bangalees sparkled with real heroism in every Bangalee when they started to join the Mukti Bahini en-masse till achieving complete independence on December 16, 1971. 
 
Meanwhile, like every year, the Cantonment Siege Day was celebrated through various programmes organized by the Rangpur district administration, Muktijoddha Sangsad, various organizations, educational institutions and local residents today. 
 
This morning, flowers were laid at the ‘Rakta Gaurab’ (Blood Glory) memorial in Nisbetganj on the banks of the Ghagot River near the cantonment to pay glowing tribute to the martyrs.