Shahid ''Shahid'' ( , , ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acq ...

Shamsuzzaman (; died 1971) was a Bengali fighter for the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

who was killed 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 ...

. He was posthumously awarded with a

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom () is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for living individual. Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 69 people have been awarded the Bir Utto ...

by 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 ...

Early life and family

Shamsuzzaman was born into a

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

family in the village of Shonar Char in

Meghna The Meghna () is one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to the Bay of Bengal. A part of the Surma-Meghna River System, the Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh ...

, Tipperah district,

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

, which was then a part of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). He was among the two sons and three daughters of Muhammad Dawlat Husayn and Begum Ayetunnesa. Out of his siblings, only his sister Begum Momtaz was still alive as of 2011.

Liberation War and death

Shamsuzzaman enrolled at the

University of Dacca The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

to study

soil science Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, soil classification, classification and Soil survey, mapping; Soil physics, physical, Soil chemistry, chemical, Soil biology, biologica ...

. The

began whilst he was in his third year of studies, and so he left to join the Mukti Bahini. He completed his training within 28 days and was then employed to the Eighth East Bengal Regiment supervised by the Z-Force. On 4 August, two companies of fighters moved from the Assembly Area of Nakshi BOP (in Jhenaigati, Sherpur, under Sector No. 11) late at night and entered the FUP area. There were 25 soldiers in total but the rest of them were all quickly trained civilians. The two companies were divided into several platoons, and Shamsuzzaman was a member of one of them. They fought 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 ...

in the border area. They all quietly stationed themselves at the fire base. Amin Ahmed Chowdhury (

Bir Bikram ''Bir Bikram'' () is a 2016 romantic comedy film directed by Milan Chams. This movie features Nepalese actors Dayahang Rai, Anoop Bikram Shahi, Deeya Pun, Arpan Thapa, Menuka Pun and Najir Hussain in the lead roles. The movie tells a story abo ...

) signalled an attack. At the same time, the Mukti Bahini continued to move towards the goal and the artillery fire began on both sides. The undertrained Mukti Bahini, including Shamsuzzaman joined the soldiers, approached the Pakistani army position. At that time, a Pakistani artillery shell fell on them. Several Mukti Bahini were killed by the shelling, with the bodies of two or three were dismembered and others dispersed. Shamsuzzaman continued to advance on the battlefield, reaching 50 yards of the BOP before he was suddenly killed by a landmine.

References

{{Bir Uttom Recipients of the Bir Uttom People killed in the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 deaths