Mortal remains of war hero CR Dutta arrive in Dhaka

The mortal remains of Bangladesh war hero CR Dutta, who died in a US hospital at the age of 93, arrived in Bangladesh on Monday.

An Emirates flight brought his coffin to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8.45 am on Monday, said Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council.

Dutta breathed his last on Aug 25 while receiving treatment in a Florida hospital.

The war hero’s coffin will be kept at the mortuary at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, according to Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council. His family also took the same flight to Dhaka.

On Tuesday morning, his body will be taken to his Banani DOHS home and later to the Dhakeshwari Temple for a public homage.

Dutta’s last rites will be performed at Rajarbag Cremation Ground at 11 am on Tuesday. The army will fire gun salutes prior to Dutta’s last rites. 

CR Dutta had been living in New York with his children for the past decade after losing his wife. He moved to his daughter’s home in Florida in 2019.

Dutta, a sector commander of the 1971 Liberation War, was born in India’s Assam on Jan 1, 1927. His father was a police officer in the state. Later, his family permanently moved to Habiganj in Bangladesh. Dutta completed his secondary education from Habiganj Government High School and received his BSc degree from Daulatpur College in Khulna.

He joined the Pakistan Army in 1951 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant within a few days. He fought for Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 as the commander of a company in Asalong. The Pakistani government subsequently rewarded him for his heroic contributions.