Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman - (Battle of Dhalai Border Outpost, Sylhet)

Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman is one of the great heroes of Bangladesh and he is generally known as Shaheed (martyr) Shipahi (an official position of Bangladesh Army) Hamidur Rahman. “Bir Sreshtho” is the highest recognition of bravery of Bangladesh. He scarified his life during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 because he was an excellent freedom fighter. The advancing Mukti Bahini column finally captured the Dhalai Border Outpost in Sylhet due in large part to his efforts. He saved his team mates and the whole country by
sacrificed his life.

Hamidur Rahman was born on 2nd February 1953 in Khardo Khalishpur village under the Jhenaidah district. He was the eldest son of his family. In 1947, during the partition of India his family lost all of their properties and they settled in the bordering area of Khorda Khalishpur of Jhenaidah district. He had his primary education at Khalishpur Primary School and subsequently at a local night school. When he passed in the primary school, he joined East Bengal Regiment on 2 February 1971. He was posted at EBR centre in Chittagong cantonment.

Hamidur Rahman participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. On March 25, Hamidur Rahman left the cantonment for his village home, and then he joined the Mukti Bahini (liberation force). He also made a significant contribution during the war in the battle of Dhalai Border Outpost at Srimangal in Sylhet district. Mukti Bahini captured their enemies for Hamidur Rahman’s significant contribution. Hamidur Rahman also sacrificed his life in the battle of Dhalai Border Outpost.

Hamidur Rahman was buried in Tripura in India but later on October 27, 2007 advisers of the Bangladeshi caretaker government decided to bring back his remains dead body to Bangladesh and bury him besides Bir Srestho Matiur Rahman. 10 December 2007 the remains dead body of Hamidur Rahman was bought back to Bangladesh and on 11 December 2007 he was buried again at “Buddhijibi Koborsthan (Cemetery)”, Dhaka.


Battle of Dhalai Border Outpost – Sylhet:

For its strategic importance the freedom fighters took a bid for capturing the Dhalai border outpost of the Pakistani Army. Though the Mukti Bahini (independence fighters) came very close to the Border Outpost but it was very difficult to capture owing to the enemy machine gun which was continuously firing from the south-western corner of the Dhalai Border Outpost. The 'C' Company of the First East Bengal Regiment was entrusted with the task with which Hamidur Rahman was enrolled.

On the night of October 28, 1971 three platoons of freedom fighters with 125 members silently advanced towards the outpost. They decided to use grenades on the machine gun posts of the Pakistani army. The platoons while approaching near to the enemy post and were on the verge of attempting a surprise, a sudden explosion of a mine alarmed the enemies who started indiscriminate firing. A battle continued for hours; but the advance of the freedom fighters was seriously obstructed by enemy firing with LMG from south-west direction.

At this critical situation, Hamidur Rahman took the responsibility of throwing grenades, and crawled through the hilly canals. He was seceded in the darkness, silently proceeded by crawling towards the LMG post, attacked and killed the two LMG operators, thereby silencing the enemy guns. When some bullet was shot in to Hamidur Rahman’s leg and chest, he jumped into the enemy machine gun post and engaged in hand to hand fighting with the two crews (who were guarding the gun) and at one point neutralized the gun.

When the EBR realizing the fact that the machine gun outpost was damaged, they approach towards the enemy captured their first line within a short period of time. After the capture of the Dhalai Border Outpost, members of the EBR found the dead body of Rahman. Shipahi Hamidur Rahman's efforts helped the East Bengal Regiment take the outpost.

After the independence of Bangladesh in recognition of his sacrifice in the War of Liberation he was honored with the highest state insignia of “Bir Sreshtho”.