Baten Bahini
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Baten Bahini was an armed guerrilla force formed in
Tangail district Tangail District () is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail mahakuma was separated from the Mymensingh District, Mymensingh district, and a district of the same name as the mahakuma's was created. The dist ...
in support of independence during the
Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...
in 1971. It was named after its leader,
Khandaker Abdul Baten Khandaker Abdul Baten (17 May 1946 – 21 January 2019) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a member of Parliament from Tangail-6. Early life Baten completed his education up till the undergraduate level, securing a B.A. with honours. ...
. Throughout the war, it conducted a number of successful guerrilla campaigns in
Tangail Tangail (, ) is a city of Tangail District in central Bangladesh. A significant city in Bangladesh, Tangail lies on the bank of the Louhajang River, northwest of Dhaka, the nation's capital. Etymology ''Tangail'' originates from the Beng ...
,
Manikganj Manikganj is a town situated in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Manikganj District and Manikganj Sadar Upazila. Manikganj is a relatively pollution-free town of Bangladesh. The recent urbanization and highway built joining ...
,
Pabna Pabna () is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about . Etymology * According to the historian Radharaman Saha ...
,
Gazipur Gazipur () is a city in central Bangladesh. Located in Gazipur District in Dhaka Division, it is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh, with 75% of all garment industries situated there. ...
,
Sirajganj Sirajganj is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River, located in Rajshahi Division. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 500000, it is the 14th largest city in Ba ...
and some parts of
Dhaka District Dhaka District () is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rests on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River ...
. It was organized into 21 companies, 63 platoons, and 100 sections. Abdul Baten led a number of guerrilla attacks.


Structure and history

During the
Liberation War Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
, Abdul Baten was the Vice President of the Student Union of Government Saadat University College in Tangail. On March 30, 1971, after a student of Saadat University College, Jumrat Ali, was killed by Pakistani forces in Achimtal of
Sakhipur Upazila Sakhipur () is an upazila of Tangail District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Demographics According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Sakhipur Upazila had 71,009 households and a population of 277,685. 60,420 (21.76%) were under 10 ye ...
, Abdul Baten returned to his native area Nagarpur and formed the Baten Bahini (Baten Force) with a few acquaintances. In the beginning, he collected two guns and 165 rounds of ammunition. Later, he collected another 8–10 guns. Meanwhile, in Konra of Abdul Baten’s village Nagarpur, a 10-member resistance committee was formed under the leadership of Mir Shamsul Alam Shahzada, and they also joined the Baten Bahini. The recruitment center of the force was established at Lauhati in
Delduar Upazila Delduar () is an upazila of Tangail District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Delduar is located at . It has 48,227 households and total area 184.54 km2. Demographics According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Delduar Upaz ...
of
Tangail Tangail (, ) is a city of Tangail District in central Bangladesh. A significant city in Bangladesh, Tangail lies on the bank of the Louhajang River, northwest of Dhaka, the nation's capital. Etymology ''Tangail'' originates from the Beng ...
, and the training centers were in Tangail district and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. At the beginning, Mir Shamsul Alam Shahzada served as the head of security and civilian affairs, Upendra Nath Sarker as the head of information and intelligence, Delwar Hossain Harij as the deputy chief (recruitment and Joy Bangla Company commander), M A Rashid as the deputy chief (quartermaster and Bangabandhu Company commander), and Khandaker Abdus Salam served as the recruitment and management officer. In addition, the force had 9 assistant security and civilian officers, 2 assistant recruitment officers, a medical team of 11 members, and 4 persons in charge of food management. The Baten Bahini started its combat on May 4, 1971, by attacking the Singair police station in
Manikganj district Manikganj District (; ) is a district in central Bangladesh and part of the Dhaka Division. Manikganj is called the land of rivers & cultural heritage of central Bangladesh.It was established in 1845 as a subdivision of Faridpur District, then in ...
. Later, one after another, they attacked and took control of Daulatpur, Saturia, and Ghior police stations in Manikganj district, Nagarpur police station in Tangail, and Chauhali police station in Sirajganj. On July 18, 1971, Baten went to India for weapons and training purposes. During this time, A K M Azad Shahjahan served as the chief of the force, and Mir Shamsul Alam Shahzada was the head of security. From late July to December, the war operations were conducted under their leadership. On January 22, 1972, Abdul Baten returned to Bangladesh. After his return, the Baten Bahini surrendered their arms to the
Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...
—on January 25 at the Nagarpur Dak Bungalow, and on March 7 and 9 at Lauhati School field in Delduar. On February 4, Abdul Baten was given a reception.


See also

*
Kader Bahini Kader Bahini (Force of Kader) was an independent militia created during the Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, the other being Mukti Bahini. It was named after its leader, Kader Siddique. The militia operated against the Pakistan Army i ...
* Mujib Bahini * Latif Bahini *
List of sectors in the Bangladesh Liberation War During the Bangladesh War of Independence, the Bangladesh Forces (not to be confused with Mukti Bahini) were divided in the geographical area of Bangladesh into eleven divisions designated as sectors. Each sector had a sector commander I.e. Di ...


References

Paramilitary forces of Bangladesh Mukti Bahini Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 in Bangladesh Guerrilla organizations Paramilitary organisations based in Bangladesh Military history of Bangladesh Defunct paramilitary organizations Resistance movements 1971 establishments in Bangladesh {{Bangladesh-mil-stub