Sherpur Correspondent

Sherpur and Nalitabari were freed from the occupation forces of Pakistan on 7 December, 1971. Muktibahini of Bangla and the Allied Forces of India jointly struggled against the Pak Army to free Sherpur and Nalitabari.

Sherpur, Jamalpur, Kamalpur and Tangail were under sector-11 and Colonel Taher was the commander of it. 84 brave sons of Sherpur gave life while fighting with the Pakistani forces. Battle took place in 30-40 places in five upazilas of Sherpur district.

On April 26, 1971 Pakistani occupation forces entered in Sherpur town and started mortal shelling. They killed the priest of Shanibigraha temple. Then they carried out reckless looting, arson, grabbing, raping, and brutal mass killing.

Pakistani army killed 187 innocent men and children at the village of Sohagpur in Nalitabari on July 25, 1971. With the help of local brokers Pak army attacked Jagotpur of Sreebardi and killed 61 innocent villagers.

Sector-11 commander Colonel Taher, on November 13 ordered the freedom fighters to attack the enemies. 14 November 1971, on Sherpur-Bakshigonj road, freedom fighters attacked the pak army and killed Major Ayub including two platoon soldiers of Pak Army.

On 24 November Pakistani occupation forces brutally killed 47 people including freedom fighters at the Surjadi village of Kamaria union under Sherpur sadar upazila
Pak army of the Kamlapur camp surrendered on 4 December as a continuous protest against them of the freedom fighters.

7 December, 1971 Sherpur was freed from the Pakistani forces. Indian Allied Forces commander Jagjit Singh Arora landed in a helicopter on Shaheed Dargali Park in Sherpur town on that day. People of Sherpur welcomed him and flew the flag of Independent Bangla.

On the day, Sherpur's Nalitabari upazila got freed in a breathless front battle of two days and two nights. After continuing firing of two days and two nights, allied forces planned of bombing by fighter aircraft. But considering huge destructions of life and belongings, the air bombing plan was cancelled.
At that time, freedom fighters fell in shortage of explosives and eased their fighting. But the Pakistani collaborators at the upazila headquarters camp fled away.

There was no sound of firing over the whole night. Panic-gripped locals waited impatiently when it will be the dawn. Fading darkness of the night, the dawn of December 7 appeared. The rising red sun made freedom fighters newly spirited. They started to enter locality by chanting slogan "Joy Bangla".

Meanwhile, different programmers have been chalked out to observe the day in a befitting manner.