Untold Facts

15 August 1975: No Shying Away About

Why Shying Away?
In an angry response to an adverse remark made a few days ago by an expatriate journalist on the heroic 15th August occurrence and revolution in Dhaka in 1975, some young leaders have asked the septuagenarian to withdraw his remark implicating therein in the matter Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister and now opposition leader in the Bangladesh Parliament, they felt blameworthy to her. The anger though has some value but in terms of the lofty glory of the 15th August, there is nothing to be shying away for the patriots and nationalists that in fact emerged from the great occurrence nearly 34 years ago.

Jubilation In and Out
The 1975 August 15 had been a day of jubilation by the people Bangladesh not staying then only at home alone but in abroad, as well. I myself am a living witness then stayed in London. I had also news of jubilation of the people living inside the country as we had reports from foreign journalists published in various London newspapers. The journalist in mention had then also been in London, but curiously enough as I saw on the day and afterwards many groups joined jubilation in the city of London, and in locations Bangladeshi concentrated as in East London Aldgate area, Oxford Street, Strand, White Hall area including in front of the British P.M.’s famous official residence, 10 Downing Street, etc., but in no place I knew of the mentioned person came out in open not to join jubilation but to show on his part sympathy to the fallen leader, much less protest against those who had brought about the leaders fall in the coup d’etat. He was then well known for accrued favors from the fallen leader not only for himself but also for his grievously ill wife who needed in 1974 treatment not possible in Dhaka but costly one in London.

Knowledge and Information Gap
In the period over three and a half decades that has passed by, and a new generation has grown up in the vacuum of historical facts and realities, it is now only very easy among these new generation having huge knowledge gap about the fallen leader now being presented having full support of the State power and money in an image as if he was a demy–god, if not the Great God.
The 15th August patriotic army coup d’etat had its success not alone by the few bullets (on both sides though) but for all misdeeds and oppression perpetrated by the leader and so he betrayed the people almost in all accounts for about three and a half years.

The Leader’s Bully Boys Inflicted Man Made Famine
As against the promises he made before coming to power, he betrayed the people in matters of minimum provisions of life and living as the man made famine took away lives of thousands, if not millions, while the party goons and leaders had hay days of illegitimate fortune making, a complete betrayal of the promises he made almost in every election propaganda in late 1960s rhetoric before being saddled to power in January 1972.

The Leader Betrayed the people
The leader betrayed the people in meeting democratic aspirations of the people that he had earlier promised but brutally killed the mode of pluralism first by autocratic rule followed by imposing lone party BAKSAL for furthering oppressive rule engineered by the instrumentation of the unconstitutional killer force, the so-called Rakkhi Bahini. The RAKHI BAHINI, it may be recalled, had been planned by the Indians in Delhi, their intelligence agency R&AW trained those forces, motivated and armed them with their own brand of arms and ammunitions not for the security of the country but to protect the leader alone that stood in parallel with the national army the leader had despise for historical reason against the Pakistan Army, and so against the Bangladesh army possibly as a continuum of hatred for the Pakistan Army.

Indian Brahmanism Stood Against Muslim Belief System and so Did the Lackey
The leader had cold shoulder for the historical and traditional Islamic belief system of the overwhelming majority people of Bangladesh, if not that much for his own account but more so imposed by the hegemony of Indian Brahmanism in action, such as they were made in educational goals reset, changes in curricula and syllabuses made, etc. This mode of State action program manifested in including ‘Secularism’ in the basic principle of the Constitution made effective in late 1972 alienated the people further.

India Ditched Bangladesh into Ignominy
In external affairs, as well, Bangladesh faced uphill task to make friends except in conformity with pleasure of Delhi. It was not that only many Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia distanced away to recognize Bangladesh but also communist China shied away from according recognition to Bangladesh as an independent country for their perception of total Indian hegemony that rested safely on the shoulder of the boss of the then Bangladesh.

India Posed Threats to Economy
The pressure of Indian big economy making intrusion from all sides of the border that put internal growth at stake in addition to threats to agriculture and ecology for India’s unduly controlling natural flow of water in the river systems from upstream continued to pose all time threats to normal productivity, economy and dignified existence of Bangladesh.

15th August Enhanced Dignity of Bangladesh
Fortunately for Bangladesh the 15th August of 1975 change paved the way for changes in fortune of Bangladesh for restoration of pluralism and multiparty democracy that enhanced dignity in the advanced world including having had secured recognition from China, Saudi Arabia etc. The notorious Rakkhi Bahini was contained into regular discipline through its absorption in to the regular army. Openness of the economy from evil clutches of India gave way to freedom from the ignominy of INTERNATIONAL BASKET CASE as the immediate post 1972 government had made the fate of the country.

Patriots’ Pride
The patriots and the nationalists thus should all take pride in the occurrence of the 15th August 1975 and in no way has any reason whatsoever to shy away from the victorious coup d’etat but for which there would have been no 7th November, much less the political freedom and the parties banned earlier by the leader’s government in early 1972 in fascistic manner could not have been revived and none born afresh but only for the success of the 15th August heroic coup that received spontaneous support of the people, on the one hand, and despise for the fallen leader, on the other.

Author: Dr. M.T. Hussain