In the Maynamati War Cemetery in Cumilla, Bangladesh, there are 702 graves of war dead, all of whom died in World War II fighting for the Allied Powers. The dead include nationalities from Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand. Of the 702 graves, 172 belong to the military personnel from the Indian subcontinent, which was then British India. Interestingly, the majority of the 172 British Indian casualties—around 120—are Muslims. Muslims were generally believed to hold stronger anti-British sentiments, as they had lost their political power to the British and, in general, suffered economic hardship and discrimination under British rule.
The British Indians were mostly from present-day Pakistan and western India. Consider 17-year-old Samand Ali from Kohat, Pakistan, or 19-year-old Mehar Din from Amritsar, India. The parents and relatives of these teenagers couldn’t even bring their bodies home to bury and mourn.
There were also the sons of our soil—20-year-old Dalil-Ur-Rahman from Noakhali, 22-year-old Fazl Kabir from Chattogram, 24-year-old Abdul Haq from Noakhali, 26-year-old Abdul Matlub from Barishal, 26-year-old Abdul Khalik from Noakhali, and 33-year-old Abdul Rahman from Chittagong. They were not conscripted, they volunteered for military service. Perhaps they joined the war driven by youthful emotions, believing they were doing the right thing or supporting, in their judgment, the right cause.
The sons of our soil fought another war in 1971 – the War of Liberation against the Pakistan military regime. Then in July-August 2024, they stood up once again for a cause they believed was worth sacrificing their lives for. They staged a mass uprising against the fascist regime of Sheikh Hasina and brought it down.
The youth always raise unreserved voices against wrongdoings, injustice, and oppression. They form the frontline in the fight against the wrong and establish the right. They sacrifice their lives and the society at large enjoys the benefits of their sacrifice. Therefore, it’s our moral obligation to remember them, acknowledge our debt to them, and try to repay their debts.
In the July-August 2024 mass uprising, thousands were killed and injured—mostly young students. Those who died sacrificed their lives, while those who became maimed sacrificed their futures. How long shall we remember them? Time will inevitably fade our memory. The everyday toiling at work, the hassles of commuting, attending to daily chores, and many other engagements typical for being alive, will never leave enough time to remember the fallen heroes or to miss them. How will we repay their debts?
We can’t give anything to those who have sacrificed their lives, but we have the opportunity to support their families and those who are injured. Unfortunately, we may not be doing enough. In this digital age with cameras and smartphones everywhere, and people and institutions connected by social media, we haven’t yet been able to comprehensively and convincingly enumerate the dead and injured in the uprising.
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This article was published in the Daily Sun on October 19, 2024. Please read the full article here or here.