Mahmudur Rahman Majumdar (25 December 1922-19 December 2011) was a Bangladesh Army brigadier who was the most senior ethnic Bengali officer in East Pakistan 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 ...

Early life and education

Mazumdar was born into a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family on 25 December 1922 in the village of Chandinagar in Katigora Thana,

Cachar district Cachar district is an administrative districts of Assam, district in the state of Assam in India. After independence, the pre-existing undivided Cachar district was split into four districts: Dima Hasao district, Dima Hasao (formerly North Cachar ...

, Assam Province, British Raj. His ancestral home was in the village of Bolramer Chok in Kaskanakpur Union,

Zakiganj Upazila Zakiganj () is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. History There are a few theories behind the name of Zakiganj. The first is that is derived from Shah Zaki, a Pir (Sufism), pir who established a khanqah on the banks of ...

Sylhet District Sylhet District (), located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital. History Sylhet District was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Benga ...

, Bangladesh. His father was Wajid Ali Mazumdar. After completing his primary and secondary education locally, Mazumdar studied at the Murari Chand College in

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.ব্রিগেডিয়ার মজুমদার - মো. মাহমুদুর রহমান। দৈনিক সিলেটের ডাক; ১৯ ডিসেম্বর ২০১২ তারিখে প্রকাশিত

Military career

In 1947, he joined the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

. On 30 July 1949, he was commissioned in the

Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...

.https://web.archive.org/web/20120111042213/http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2012-01-09/news/215009 During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he commanded the

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

Sector. He earned the status of

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in 1969.

Bangladesh Liberation War

Majumdar defected from the

at the start of the

, when he was the commanding officer of East Pakistan Regiment Centre After

Yahya Khan Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (4 February 191710 August 1980) was a Pakistani army officer who served as the third president of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971. He also served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief, Pakistan, commander-in-chief of the Pakistan ...

postponed the assembly session in March, Brigadier Majumdar met a group of Awami League leaders and pledged military support for the creation of Bangladesh. He was in charge of unloading weapons fom a ship called MV Swat and his refusal to do so put him in direct conflict with the Army Chief, Abdul Hamid Khan,

Tikka Khan Tikka Khan, also known as the Butcher of Bengal.Tikka Khan title: * * * * * * * * (; 10 February 1915 – 28 March 2002) was a Pakistani military officer and war criminal who served as the first Chief of the Army Staff (Pakistan), chief of the a ...

and other high officials. Realizing that the Pakistani army aimed to launch a massive strike on the Bengalis, Majumdar secretly devised a plan to launch a pre-emptive strike with the support of the numerous East Bengal Regiments and the

East Pakistan Rifles East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

. He conveyed this plan to Sheikh Mujib and Colonel Osmani and assured them of Bengali military superiority at that time. However, Mujib refused to give permission as he was tricked into believing that Yahya Khan was going to accept a political solution. He was arrested and charged with treason by the Pakistan Army during the war. In an interview, he stated that Major Generals, Khadim Hossain Raja and Mitha Khan, tricked him into coming to Dhaka by claiming that Tikka Khan had called an urgent meeting with every senior officer. According to Major General Khadim Hossain Raja, he had tricked Majumdar by asking him to talk to the restive 2 EBR at Joydebpur in his capacity as 'Papa Tiger'. In reality, he was taken to the house of Brigadier Arbab, who he considered a close friend and colleague. Arbab betrayed him by placing him under house arrest. On March 27, he was officially arrested and taken into custody. He was later brutally tortured in custody. Moreover, his relatives were also captured and tortured. He was forced into signing a confession stating that he had planned a mutiny against the army. Later on, he was transferred to Wana Fort and was eventually repatriated to independent Bangladesh in 1973.

Political career

Majumdar, after retiring from the Bangladesh Army, joined the Jatiya Party. He was elected to parliament from Sylhet twice.

Awards and decorations

Death

Mazumdar died on 19 December 2011.

References

1922 births 2011 deaths People from Zakiganj Upazila Politicians from Sylhet Division People from Cachar district Jatiya Party politicians Bangladesh Army brigadiers 3rd Jatiya Sangsad members 4th Jatiya Sangsad members 21st-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis 20th-century Bangladeshi military personnel {{JatiyaParty-politician-stub