Published : 27 Mar 2026, 06:39 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:31 PM
Once a war cry that rallied millions, “Joy Bangla” now, for some, carries a note of caution.
For Lutfa Haseen Rosy, who fought in the 1971 Liberation War, that shift signals a profound and troubling transformation in the nation she helped bring into being.
A guerrilla member of the Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF), also known as the Mujib Bahini, she said: “I never thought that in this independent country we would have to fear speaking in favour of the Liberation War.
“Now even saying ‘Joy Bangla’ comes with the fear of arrest -- this is not the Bangladesh we wanted.”
She made the remarks at the launch of the third volume of “Bangladesh, Penned in Blood”, a Liberation War-based compilation published by bdnews24.com, at an Independence Day event on Thursday.
Two previous volumes of the series have already been released.
At the ceremony, Rosy criticised the younger generation, saying: “They are very smart -- they can make videos go viral on Facebook and YouTube. But they do not properly know the history of their own country’s birth.”
She also warned against attempts to place the July Uprising alongside the 1971 Liberation War.
“People took to the streets out of anger against the Sheikh Hasina government. But the defeated forces of 1971 are now claiming that people were inspired by their ideology -- that is not true.”
Some, she said, were even describing the 2024 uprising as a “second independence”.
“They do not understand what independence means. They do not know the history of how this country was born,” she said, referring to remarks by former chief advisor Muhammad Yunus about pressing a “reset button”.
“Yunus is a highly educated man. Does he not know that history cannot be reset? History endures through its own strength. Those who want to turn this country into Pakistan do not understand history.”
Rosy also criticised Bangladesh’s education system, pointing to structural inequality.
“A nation is built through education. Yet we still have a three-tier system -- Bangla medium, madrasa, and English medium. That is where inequality begins.”
She added, “Sheikh Hasina, in a bid to consolidate power, allowed certification without modernising madrasa curricula. It was a deeply flawed decision, and we are now seeing its consequences.”
The daughter of language movement activist Abu Zayed Shikder, Rosy grew up hearing stories of anti-British revolutionaries and dreamt of becoming one herself, inspired by figures like Pritilata Waddedar.
A 10th grader at Azimpur School during the Liberation War, she joined guerrilla operations under the BLF, including the Gopibagh operation.
Recalling Mar 25, 1971, she said: “We were at our home on Fuller Road near Dhaka University. Seeing the horrifying bloodshed, my father told us to pray. We did not think we would survive that night.”
After Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Mar 7 speech, she joined student training at Dhaka University with dummy rifles, having already been active in student politics since seventh grade.
Rosy expressed hope that the younger generation would learn the true history of the Liberation War, saying “Bangladesh, Penned in Blood” could serve as a key reference in preserving that legacy.
