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Dhaka Day by Day

Was His Struggle in Vain?

by Fayza Haq
At the age of 18 Shufuman Mondal. had joined the Freedom Fighters and has a certlf tcate to prove H too While in action. having been already trained at Agartala he was af fccted by a grenade which hud been tended to an extent by first aid workers
Todav at the age of 35.he is on a wheel chair with no legs, an amputated arm and Uh-right one.with three fingers missing, due to gangrene He lives from hand to mouth.tn a bamboo shed at 69. Jalrabart Dhaka and ts at the mercy of his friends
His father Narayan Mondal Is 90. while his mother Itamanl Rant living in the village are themselves bedridden and can hardly look after a late bom son They arc themselves ek Ing out an existence at the mercy of their daughter tn law and sympathetic neighbours His brother Ranjit. 25. a writer of legal flies at Dhaka has separated from the family, and refuses to have anything to do with a crippled and hapless brother
How did Shufuman get his gangrene when
he was working In the kachert as a "dah!" writer 7 The grenades, bullet shots and Inju ties that he had sustained at different points during the Freedom Fight, brought In the Initial injuries and he had not been cured property 79 1 got Injured while I got myself knocked against a stone, while returning home form the ’kucherf. The injuries which I had contracted during the Freedom struggle, were ob viously not treated or cured properly and eventually lead to amputations of my limbs— first In 86 at the National Unit Hospital near Azad Cinema in Old Dhaka, and later at the Seva Nursing Home in Mohammed pur tn 88.
Shufuman continued about his injuries and treatment." I had to sell out my own money as well as get help from my
family at Blkrampur. My family, in turn.sold off their lands to pay the doctors fees. I have been tn pain since '79 and on medication'
What the valiant freedom fighter relished to recount were his days as a guerilla fight er. beginning with his training al Agartala to the time he fought al various sectors In Bangladesh and finally joined the combined fore es In December 7 I and ushered in victory for Bangladesh
“I learnt rifle shooting: grenade-charge; and operation of the the sten gun I loved the Grades drills and the class on secret signals
: were trained by a Sikh major general and 15 other officers there were 1.800 MukU Jiwldlias' as faias I can recollect and I could comprehend My original intimate group, howewi. comprised 16 fighters Hie Indians were so considerate dial they escorted us to the border al Comilla." Shufuman recounted with enthusiasm and pride
He continued about the Freedom struggle.
In August 71 we reached Nannan Bazaar Comilla and fought for 3 days There was heavy, continuous shelling . day and night and we hid in the paddy fields. Wc were com plelely surrounded by the Pakistan forces. More Mukll Joddhas joined us and we grew 200 in number They helped us with arms and ammunition but wc had to live on the cheer a and gur provided by us initially The commander was Kajal lire nephew of Qurban All an Awaml League leader His other uncle Advocate Shamsul Huq an M.P. of the B N P
was also with us We received a tremen dou* amount of moral support from Ka Jal's two uncles."
Shufuman fought for 9 days at Ram-chandpur Thana at Comilla where the local women and young boys helped out with daaT. rice, "rutl". green vegetables and "putl mach which was original ly In the "shutkt" form and then later made Into a curry.
"Over 60 of our comrades died at Blkrampur (Nawab ganj Thana) while we fought under our commander Badruz zaman for 6 days. We lived on rice and fish then. Reaching Dhaka Shadar. Nai-sha Launch Station, we fought on for 3 days. It was here that I was Injured and tended to by Dr. Abul Kamal of Dha ka. Was 1 ever frigh tened?. Certainly noil My whole being was vibrating with enthusiasm while 1 struggled on for months more . Yes, 1 saw my compan ions die like fires aravnd me wc
lived tn forests and unreliable boats on the r)vcrs but I took it all in my stride, ne went on with his narrative.
"Today on the wheel chair. I go to my friends for money for my very existence. 1 have given up cigarettes and never drank tea. My meals remain simple. I hear neighbouring radios for casual entertainment. 1 am always in pain and tension. Who wants to know a sick friend and how far can they help me out 7" were his las! bitter remarks.