The memorial of heroic freedom fighter and intellectual Shaheed Lt. Colonel Muhammad Abdul Qadir and other local martyred freedom fighters was inaugurated at his native Mostafapur Bakshipara village in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur district on Saturday.
Celebrated journalist Nadeem Qadir, the eldest son of Shaheed Lt. Colonel Qadir and President of Raktadhara' 71 (Bloodline '71) constructed the memorial at his native village on the bank of the river Chikley at own initiative. Member of Parliament Aroma Dutta inaugurated the memorial by hoisting the national flag, cutting ribbon and placing wreaths at its altar in a function held on its premises.
Raktadhara' 71, an organization of the martyrs of the 1971 War of Independence, organized the function presided over by its President journalist Nadeem Qadir.
General Secretary of Raktadhara' 71 Mizanur Rahman Talukder delivered a welcome speech.
Member of Parliament from Rangpur-2 constituency Abul Kalam Md. Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury Deuk addressed the function.
Liberation War Affairs Researcher Brigadier General Md. Bayezid Sarwar, Architect of the memorial Fuad Haider, heroic freedom fighter Mahbub Rahman Hablu, Shaheed Qadir's family member Salek Miah, Badarganj upazila chairman Fazle Rabbi Sweet, martyred freedom fighter's wife Rawshan Ara, heirs of martyred freedom fighter Dipti Ghosh and local public representatives spoke.
Nadeem said Lt. Colonel Qadir was a senior Bengali officer in the then Pakistani army and he joined the Oil and Gas Development Corporation as the Chief Controller at port city Chattogram on September 6, 1970.
Taking charge at Chattogram, he secretly met incumbent lawmaker Major (Retd) Rafikul Islam, Bir Uttam, other Awami League leaders and some junior Bengali army officers.
Just before the Pakistani army launched the 'Operation Searchlight' on March 25, 1971, Lt. Colonel Qadir supplied deposited explosives at his office to the independence-seeker people.
The independence-seeker people used those explosives in blowing up the Shuvopur Bridge in Feni and retarded the entrance of Pakistani army to Chattogram. Later, Lt. Colonel Qadir with others left Chattogram and went to Ramgarh upazila in Khagrachari bordering Tripura to fight against the Pakistani army.
On April 17, 1971, Lt. Colonel Qadir came to Chattogram to see his pregnant wife when the Pakistani army arrested and took him away from his residence.
"Lt. Colonel Qadir had been missing since then until I found his grave close to our Chattogram residence in 2007 as per information received from Brigadier General Md. Bayezid Sarwar," Nadeem said.
Later in 2011, the remains of the body were re-buried at Qadirabad Cantonment, named after Shaheed Lt. Colonel Qadir, in Natore as per the special initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
MP Deuk said the bridge on the river Chikley at the native village Mostafapur will be renamed soon after martyred heroic freedom fighter Shaheed Lt. Colonel Mohammad Abdul Qadir.
"We will name different bridges and roads of Badarganj upazila after the names of the heroic freedom fighters to show due respect to them, the best sons and daughters of the soil," he said.
Aroma Dutta thanked Nadeem for constructing the memorial and giving the same to people as a great gift paving the opportunity for the young generations to know and nurture the true national history in the spirit of the War of Liberation.
"The War of Liberation is our pride and existence. I thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for bringing back the country to the spirit of the War of Liberation," she said, adding that the next generations will take Bangladesh forward in the spirit of the War of Liberation.
