Fifty-three years after independence, many wartime operations remain buried in footnotes and family archives. Part 7 of this 12-part series tells how freedom fighters and civilians in Kurigram carried out two of the Liberation War’s most daring missions: raiding a bank and a treasury to secure crores in cash and gold for the Mujibnagar government.

AHMAD ISTIAK

During the 1971 Liberation War, a series of daring operations unfolded across the country, with civilians and trained freedom fighters jointly conducting raids to secure funds for the resistance.

In the early months of the war, freedom fighters broke into government treasuries and bank vaults in various districts and sub divisions, with most of the recovered money deposited into the Mujibnagar government treasury to finance the war.

Two of the most significant missions took place on April 16 and 18, when freedom fighters raided the National Bank and the Kurigram Treasury, both in the Kurigram subdivision. Together, they recovered over Tk 3 crore and 15kgs of gold jewellery.

These operations are documented in multiple books.

The National Bank operation is described in Tajul Mohammad’s “Muktijuddher Itihasher Khoje Kurigram” and Akhtaruzzaman Mondol’s “1971: Uttar Ronangone Bijoy”.

On the other hand, the Treasury operation is documented in Hamidul Haque’s “Boibhobe Ekattor” and Akbar Ali Khan’s memoir “Purono Shei Diner Kotha”.

Akhtaruzzaman Mondol, a former Awami League politician and Liberation War organiser from Bhurungamari, Kurigram took part in the April 16 bank raid.

According to Purono Shei Diner Kotha, the Pakistan government imposed strict restrictions on cash withdrawals at the start of the war.

Faced with a growing need for resources, Captain Nawazesh Uddin, deputy commander of the EPR’s Rangpur Wing, advised National Assembly member Riaz Uddin Ahmed, Provincial Assembly member Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and Sub-After The

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