A.N.M Nuruzzaman Bir Uttom (2 December 1938 – 16 March 1993) was a Bangladeshi army officer, who was also a sector commander in the Bangladeshi War of Liberation. After the war he served as the first and only director general of the paramilitary force Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini.
A. N. M. Nuruzzaman | |
|---|---|
| Native name | আ. ন. ম. নুরুজ্জামান |
| Born | 2 December 1938 Narsingdi, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 16 March 1993 (aged 54) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Allegiance |  Bangladesh Pakistan (before 1971) |
| Service |  Pakistan Army Bangladesh Army National Defence Force |
| Years of service | 1960-1993 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Unit | East Bengal Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Battles / wars | Bangladesh Liberation War |
| Awards |  Bir Uttom[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
Biography
editNuruzzaman was born in December 1938 in Saidabad, Raipura, Narsingdi. Abu Ahmad, his father, was a government officer. He graduated from Sunamganj High School and Sylhet Murari Chand College. He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1959 and afterward joined the Pakistan Military Academy. In 1960 he was commissioned in the Pakistan army as second lieutenant.[2]
Career
editIn 1968 he was promoted to the rank of captain and posted in Quetta, West Pakistan.[2]
Agartala Conspiracy case
editHe was one of the accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. After the case was withdrawn he was reinstated in service.[2]
Bangladesh Liberation war
editNuruzzaman joined the War of liberation in 1971 in the S-Force under K M Shafiullah,[3] commander of Sector-3. In September he was made the commander of sector-3 by the Mujibnagar Government. He served in that position till the end of Bangladesh Liberation War.[4]
Post Independence
editHe joined the Bangladesh army after the independence of Bangladesh, he was promoted to brigadier general. On 28 January 1972, he and Anwar Ul Alam meet to discuss the formation of Rakhi Bahini at the President House on Minto Road, which Sheikh Mujib called the "People's House". In March 1972 Rakhi Bahini came into existence.[5] He was the director of Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini. He was in London when Mujib was assassinated in 1975.[6] After the assassination, he was placed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and performed diplomatic responsibilities in Australia, Philippines, Senegal, Canada and Sweden.[2]
Death
editHe died on 16 March 1993 in Stockholm while working as ambassador of Bangladesh to Sweden.[2]
Legacy
editThe government of Bangladesh awarded him the highest living gallantry award Bir Uttam for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Dhaka City Corporation renamed a road Bir Uttam ANM Nuruzzaman Sarak after him.[2]
Footnotes
edit- This article has been translated from the original report titled "তোমাদের এ ঋণ শোধ হবে না" published on 14 October 2012 in The Daily Prothom Alo. The Daily Prothom Alo has released a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0 international license on Wikipedia (Permitted). The reports were written by Rashedur Rahman (also known as Tara Rahman) on behalf of The Daily Prothom Alo Liberation War Trust.
References
edit- ^ Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December 1973; Ministry of Liberation War Affairs
- ^ a b c d e f "Nuruzzaman, Brigadier General ANM". Banglapedia. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Notable battles in the 11 Sectors". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "Sector Commanders". The Daily Star. 15 December 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (13 January 2014). "Myth, reality and Rakkhi Bahini". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Chowdhury, Kamran Reza. "New book defends roles of Rakkhi Bahini, Tofail". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- Anwar Ul Alam (14 March 2014). "An unsung hero". The Independent (Bangladesh). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.