Freedom fighter Maj Ziauddin who led 1971 battles in the Sundarbans dies

Freedom fighter Ziauddin Ahmed, who headed battles in the Sundarbans during the Liberation War, has died aged 67.

Maj Ziauddin shot by pirates

The retired army major passed away at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital around 4:30am Friday, his family has said.    

  

He had been suffering from liver ailments for the past two years, his nephew Shahanur Rahman Shamim told bdnews24.com.

He was admitted to Dhaka's Square Hospital after falling ill on Jul 1. He was moved to the Intensive Care Unit, and later taken to Singapore in an air ambulance.

Maj Ziauddin

Ziauddin was the commanding officer for the First East Bengal Regiment fighting the 1971 war against Pakistan under Sector-9.

He was the municipality chairman in Pirojpur between 1989 and 1991. Locals often referred to him as the 'Mukuthin Samrat', which translates to 'emperor without a crown'.

The freedom fighter led the fight against Pakistani soldiers in the Sundarbans as a sub-sector commander of Sector 9.

He later started a non-political organisation for the forest's protection.

Ziauddin had been the chairman of Dubla Fisherman Group, and worked to eliminate bandits from the Sundarbans. He was injured during a gun battle with the forest's bandits in 2013.

He authored the book 'Muktijuddhe Sundarban', to provide his narrative of the events that shaped the freedom struggle in the forest region.