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Published : 14 May 2026, 01:27 AM
Tepri Rani, a Birangana (war heroine) from Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail Upazila who was tortured at a Pakistani occupation forces' camp during the 1971 Liberation War, is no more.
She breathed her last on Tuesday night while undergoing treatment at the Pirganj Upazila Health Complex in Thakurgaon.
Her funeral was held with full state honours in Balidwara village of the Upazila's Nanduar Union on Wednesday. The Upazila administration and police gave her a guard of honour.
The 72-year-old Rani was the daughter of the late Madhudas Roy of Balidwara village. She had been suffering from different age-related ailments for a long time.
News of her death cast a shadow of grief over the village, with locals breaking down in tears.
Local freedom fighters and family members recounted that in late April 1971, Rani was only 17 years old. As the horrors of war spread, her family lived in constant fear of death.
At that time, a local Razakar, locals who collaborated with Pakistani forces, suggested handing Rani over to the occupation forces' camp to save the lives of her other family members.
Faced with this desperate situation, a helpless Madhudas Roy was forced to hand over his daughter to the Pakistani army camp.
Rani then endured seven months of continuous torture by the Pakistani forces.
Following her funeral, freedom fighter Riazul Islam said: "Tepri Rani was not just a Birangana; she was a living history of our Liberation War.
“Her life reminds us of the depth of sacrifice women made for the country's independence."
