UK Ching (1933 - 25 July 2014) was a Bangladeshi freedom fighter, who was awarded the

Bir Bikrom Bir Bikrom () is the third highest gallantry award in Bangladesh. Like the other gallantry awards, this was introduced immediately after the Bangladeshi Liberation War. Bir Bikrom was awarded to 175 fighters. Recipients 175 fighters have been a ...

in 1971 for his military services in 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 ...

. Ching was born in 1933 into poverty in a Marma family of

Chittagong Hill Tracts The Chittagong Hill Tracts (), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, refers to the three hilly districts within the Chittagong Division in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering India and Myanmar (Burma) in the east: Kh ...

(now in

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 ...

) of British India. At the age of 15, Ching joined the ''East Pakistan Rifles'', better known as the Bangladesh Rifles during the modern age (Now BGB- Border Guards Bangladesh). He served

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 ...

in 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 ...

and remained an active member of the ''Bangladesh Rifles'' until 1982.

Role in Liberation war

As a member of 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 fought in Sector 6 during Bangladesh's Liberation War. UK Ching joined the East Pakistan Rifles in 1952 at the age of 19. On March 25, 1971, he was serving as a Nayek (corporal) at the Hatibandha Border Outpost (BOP) in

Rangpur district Rangpur District () is a district in northern Bengal, It is a part of Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. Geography Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur is bo ...

. At that post, he killed one Bihari officer and two Punjabi soldiers, then joined the war effort with the remaining nine Bengali EPR soldiers stationed there. UK Ching Marma participated in several successful operations against the Pakistani forces. One of them was the Kauwahaga Hat Operation. The operation was conducted under the single leadership of UK Ching.

Awards and recognition

For his courage and bravery in the Liberation War, UK Ching was awarded the title of

. He is the only freedom fighter from an indigenous ethnic minority group in the country to receive this honor. On December 8, 2017, the State Minister for the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing, proposed naming the stadium in Bandarban after him as ''Bir Muktijoddha Late U.K. Ching Bir Bikrom''.

Personal life

Ching is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. He died on 25 July 2014, of a stroke.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ching, UK 1937 births 2014 deaths People of the Bangladesh Liberation War Mukti Bahini personnel Marma people Bangladeshi Buddhists People from Bandarban District