Martyred heroic freedom fighter and intellectual Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir was born in Mostafapur village under Badarganj upazila of Rangpur district. A memorial was built in that village after 50 years of independence. The memorial, built to protect the memory of Abdul Qadir and the local martyred freedom fighters, was officially inaugurated on January 8. Nadeem Qadir, president of Raktadhara '71, son of martyred Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir and eminent journalist, on his own initiative built a memorial on the banks of river Chikli in his father's birthplace Mostafapur village.
Martyr Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir is the son of late Abul Hossain Miah of Mostafapur village. He was a senior Bengali officer in the then Pakistan Army. On 6 September 1970, he joined the Oil and Gas Development Corporation as the Chief Controller in the port city of Chattogram which was called Chittagong back then. After taking charge in Chattogram, he secretly met with incumbent MP Major (retd) Rafiqul Islam, Bir Uttam, other Awami League leaders and some junior Bengali army officers. On March 25, 1971, just before the Pakistani army launched Operation Searchlight, Lieutenant Colonel Qadir supplied explosives in his office to freedom fighters.
Using that explosive, the freedom-loving people blew up the Shubhpur Bridge in Feni and obstructed the entrance of the Pakistani army in Chattogram.
Later, Lieutenant Colonel Qadir left Chattogram with others to fight against the Pakistani army and went to Ramgarh upazila of Khagrachhari on the Tripura border. On 16 April 1971, Colonel Qadir was abducted by the Pakistani army from his residence in Chattogram while he went there to visit his pregnant wife. Colonel Qadir has been missing since then.
Journalist Nadeem Qadir, president of Raktadhara 71, son of martyred Lieutenant Colonel Qadir, found his father's grave in Panchlaish, Chattogram in 2006 after 36 years of independence. He said, According to information obtained from Brigadier General Bayazid Sarwar, Lieutenant Colonel Qadir was missing from his Chattogram residence in 2006 until his grave was found. Later, on the instructions of the present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, his body was re-buried with state honors at Kadirabad Cantonment in Natore in 2011. The Kadirabad cantonment in Natore was named after the martyred Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the war of liberation.
MP Aroma Dutta inaugurated the newly constructed memorial at Mostafapur in Badarganj, the birthplace of martyred Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir, by hoisting the national flag, cutting the ribbon and laying a wreath at the altar. At the same time, the MP said that in order to present the true history of the great liberation war of 1971 to the next generation, a memorial should be built in every village in memory of the freedom fighters and a centre do discuss about Liberation War, freedom fighters should be set up.
Even after five decades of independence, the memorial built in a remote village will remain a beacon for future generations. Aroma Dutta also paid tribute to those who took the initiative to build the memorial in memory of the martyred heroic freedom fighter and intellectual Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir.
Local MP Abul Kalam Mohammad also spoke at the inaugural function of the memorial organized by Raktadhara '71, an organization of the successors of the martyrs of the liberation war. Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury Duke, Liberation War researcher Brigadier General Bayazid Sarwar, General Secretary of Raktadhara '71 Mizanur Rahman Talukder, Architect of the Memorial Fouad Haider, Freedom Fighter Mahbub Rahman Hablu, Family Member of Martyr Colonel Qadir Salek Mia, Badarganj Upazila Chairman Fazle Rabbi and others were present at the programme ."I came back to the village in 2016, almost 50 years after my father died," said Nadeem Qadir, a prominent journalist and son of the martyred Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir.
“When I came here, I did not get any reminder of my father. Therefore, I took the initiative to build a memorial to hold the memory of the freedom fighters of this village including my father and to keep the spirit of the liberation war. '
Local MP Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury Duke said the bridge over the Chikli River in Mostafapur village would soon be named after the martyred heroic freedom fighter Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir.
He also announced to name various bridges and roads of Badarganj upazila after the heroic freedom fighters to show respect to the best children of the country.
