Bangabandhu returned home after getting no response from Nehru in 1962: Hasina

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came back home from Agartala after Jawaharlal Nehru did not respond to his call for help when the dream of an independent Bangladesh through an armed struggle was growing in the early 60s, Sheikh Hasina says.

The Pakistan government initiated Agartala Conspiracy Case in 1968 with false charges of secession of East Pakistan against Bangabandhu and 34 others after sensing the plan of the Bengalis. 

The government had to withdraw the case the following year in the face of mounting protests.

Recalling Bangabandhu’s visit to Agartala in 1962, Hasina said not many people out of the family were aware of it.

“Only my mother, I and other siblings knew about it. No one else was supposed to know. One of two people who helped him (Bangabandhu) reaching Agartala also knew. They (Pakistan government) started the case following that lead, but could not do anything,” she said.     

Nine years after Bangabandhu’s Agartala visit, the Bengalis’ struggle for freedom reached the peak.

“Ebarer sangram, amader muktir sangram; ebarer sangram, swadhinatar sangram (This time, the struggle is for our freedom. This time, the struggle is for independence.),” Bangabandhu told a rally at the then Race Course Maidan, now the Suhrwardy Udyan, in Dhaka on Mar 7, 1971.

The speech, which in essence was the declaration of Bangladesh independence, is now a part of world history officially after UNESCO last year added the speech to the Memory of the World Register, recognising its importance as part of the world’s ‘documentary heritage’.    

The Pakistani forces went on a killing spree on unarmed Bengalis on the night of Mar 25 that year.

Early next morning, Bangabandhu officially proclaimed independence, starting the war of independence that ended with the surrendering of the Pakistani forces on Dec 16.

Bangladesh now wants the UN to declare Mar 25 as the World Genocide Day.

Bangabandhu’s eldest daughter Hasina, now the prime minister of Bangladesh, reminisced about the events that led to the Liberation War at a programme marking Bangabandhu’s historic Mar 7 speech in Dhaka on Friday.

“At one stage, he (Bangabandhu) went to Agartala in ’62. This is the fact. He went to make preparations,” she said.       

“Nehru was in power (in India) at the time. After being failed to get much response from him (Nehru) for some reason, Bangabandhu returned home,” Hasina said.

Hasina was 15 years old at the time. She recalled that Bangabandhu was arrested on return from the secret meeting in Agartala.

“Pakistani intelligence agents became crazy as they could not trace him for four to five days. They tried to trace him by quizzing us repeatedly,” she recalled.  

Dhaka University history teacher Prof Muntasir Mamun wrote about Bangabandhu’s plan of rebellion in 1962 in his book ‘Bangabandhu Kivabe Amader Swadhinata Enechhilen (How Bangabandhu Brought Us Independence)’.

According to the book, India’s support was essential to fulfil the plan and Nehru, the then prime minister of India, did not object to the plan, but he asked for 'no haste'.  

When Bangladesh was fighting for its independence in 1971, Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India. She stood by Bangladesh and provided support in many ways.

India sheltered hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi refugees at the time. The wartime provisional government of Bangladesh was centred in Kolkata. The Indian forces joined the Bengali forces in the first week of December. Several thousand Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war for Bangladesh’s independence.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Memorial Trust organised the seminar at the Krishibid Institution Auditorium.

In her 55-minute speech, the prime minister spoke about various events unfolded before the war.

“I think the people have the right to know these. I am a silent witness. And we, only two of the family, are alive. No one knows about the events more than we do,” she said.

In Aug 15 assassination in 197, Bangabandhu and most members of the family were killed. Only Hasina and her younger daughter Sheikh Rehana survived the carnage as they were abroad at the time.

The prime minister remembered the contribution of people from all walks of life, including government officials, to the independence of Bangladesh.

“A large group of government officials were with him (Bangabandhu). They cooperated with him secretly. They met at different places,” she said, adding that she can remember Bangabandhu travelling by launch to meet them.

She recalled how the Bengali officials in the Pakistani intelligence helped Bangabandhu. She said they made reports in such a way that the Pakistani government could not sense the victory of the Awami League in the elections in 1970. 

“And Mr Bhutto (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) started a game at the time. Bangabandhu had once told Bhutto that people would use him like a puppet. If they kill me, you (Bhutto) will no longer be there too,” Hasina said.

Bangabandhu’s warning came true. After the assassination of Bangabandhu, Pakistan People’s Party leader Bhutto was overthrown as the prime minister of Pakistan in an army takeover in 1977. He was sentenced to death by a military court after two years.

About the Bengali intelligence agents, Hasina said, “Many of them met Abba (Bangabandhu) and Ma (Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib) secretly. They used to make reports following his (Bangabandhu’s) instructions.

“They never reported that Awami League would win a majority. They always reported that the 20 parties would win many seats. That’s how they cooperated,” she said.

The Awami League won an absolute majority in the 1970 elections, but the then president of Pakistan Yahya Khan delayed in calling the assembly instead of letting Bangabandhu form the government.

With these in the backdrop, Bangabandhu called for the struggle for independence in his Mar 7 speech and the Pakistani forces launched the operation on Mar 25.

Recalling the fateful day, Hasina said a scooter driver carried a slip from a chef at the cantonment around 1:30pm. “It said the Pakistanis would attack us at 1am. They actually launched the attack at 11pm.”

‘Bangabandhu knew what to do’

Hasina criticised Serajul Alam Khan, a Chhatra League leader at the time, for his activities centring the Mar 7 speech.
 

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Hasina curious about ‘Mar 7 pressure’ on Bangabandhu for the proclamation of independence

“Some of our student leaders, one of them was Serajul Alam Khan…and some of his followers were trying to convince Abba to declare independence (on March 7). They used to say ‘Leader, you must proclaim independence today. Otherwise, the people will be frustrated’,” Hasina said.

“Abba said only one thing: ‘Siraj, I know very well what to do. The leader should lead the lad; the lad should not… Be prepared. You won’t have to do anything else. I know what to do’,” she said.  

The prime minister said Bangabandhu would have been branded a ‘separatist’ in diplomatic circles all across the world had he proclaimed independence at the Mar 7 rally.

“I don’t know what the reason behind him (Serajul) saying this was. It wasn’t right. The Pakistanis were ready with bombs on the helicopter. They would start bombing and firing if Bangabandhu made the proclamation. The Pakistani forces would carry out killings like (the British did in) Jallianwala Bagh massacre so that no movement could grow,” she said.

She said she met Serajul at home after returning from the rally.

“When I was climbing the stairs, I saw some of our student leaders, including Serajul Alam Khan, were there. Serajul Alam Khan was saying: ‘Leader, what have you done? You haven’t proclaimed independence. The people returned home frustrated’. 

“I became angry after hearing this. I asked him why he was lying. I myself witnessed what happened. No one was frustrated. People seemed to be very jubilant and inspired.   

“I told Abba about the unbelievable aspiration we saw in people while returning home from the rally. I told him that they (Serajul and his followers) saw nothing. They were lying,” she said.

Hasina also said she asked herself what the aim of pressurising Bangabandhu inside the party to proclaim independence at the Mar 7 rally could be.

“Some people advised on the speech, and also talked about it after Bangabandhu delivered it. It can be understood from the hindsight and from their post-1975 political activities that they have involved in a conspiracy all along,” she said.

Former Chittagong University vice-chancellor Prof Alamgir Muhammad Serajuddin presented the keynote paper at the seminar. Daily Asian Age Associate Editor Syed Badrul Ahsan and Dhaka University history department's Prof Aksadul Alam took part in the discussion.