Battle of Rangamati-Mahalchari Waterway | |||||||
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Part of Bangladesh Liberation War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Pakistan Army | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unknown | Munshi Abdur Rouf † | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Unknown | 8th East Bengal Regiment | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 100 killed |
The Battle of Rangamati-Mahalchari Waterway was a strategic battle during the Bangladesh Liberation War in April 1971, in which the Pakistani Army successfully captured the Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway, overcoming the Mukti Bahini forces.
The Mukti Bahini forces, specifically the 8th East Bengal Regiment, established defensive positions at Burighat along both sides of the Chengi Lakes to restrict Pakistani forces from using the strategic Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway. Munshi Abdur Rouf, a soldier in the regiment, was assigned to this defensive position with the Mukti Bahini fighters, intending to monitor and ambush Pakistani movements along the waterway. [1]
On April 8, 1971, the Pakistani Army launched an assault on the Mukti Bahini positions with seven speedboats and two launches. The Pakistani forces aimed to drive the Mukti Bahini away from the waterway. Pakistani troops managed to encircle nearly 100 Mukti Bahini fighters, disorienting them with concentrated fire. [2]
Seeing the dire situation, Munshi Abdur Rouf crawled to his trench and used his automatic machine gun to cover the retreat of his fellow soldiers. His covering fire forced the Pakistani boats to temporarily pull back. However, a direct mortar strike eventually killed Rouf, halting his resistance. [3] [4]
Rouf was later honored with the title of Bir Sreshtho, the highest military award for bravery in Bangladesh. [5] [6]
The Bangladesh Armed Forces are the military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. They consist of the three uniformed military services: the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy, and the Bangladesh Air Force. The Armed Forces are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and are directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office. The President of Bangladesh serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh has the third-largest defence budget in South Asia. The Bangladeshi military is the 37th strongest in the world and the third most powerful military force in South Asia. Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs during peacetime, but during wartime, they fall under the command of the Bangladesh Army and the Bangladesh Navy, respectively.
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Munshi Abdur Rouf BS was a Lance Nayek in the 11th Wing of East Pakistan Rifles during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He enlisted in the East Pakistan Rifles on 8 May 1963, and was attached with a regular infantry unit during the War of Liberation. Rouf died on 8 April 1971 at Burighat in Chittagong Hill Tracts after causing extensive damage to the Pakistani Army with his machine gun and forcing them to retreat. He was buried at Naniarchor Upazila in Rangamati District.
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