Rangpur Cantonment
Rangpur Cantonment | |
|---|---|
রংপুর সেনানিবাস | |
| Rangpur City, Rangpur, Bangladesh | |
 Rangpur Cantonment | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military base |
| Controlled by |  Bangladesh Army |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Major General Mohammad Kamrul Hasan |
Rangpur Cantonment (Bengali: রংপুর সেনানিবাস) is a cantonment located in Rangpur, Bangladesh.[1] It is the headquarters of 66th Infantry Division of the Bangladesh Army.
History
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The locals of Rangpur were protesting against Pakistanis from the very beginning of the year 1971. Consequently, some including one teenager laid down their lives on the streets of Rangpur. This was even referred in the 7th March speech. But within mid-March, the Pakistanis themselves became cornered in the city as the youth of Rangpur and mobs had already started attacking them. In such an event, one youngman named "Shahed" attacked a lieutenant of Pakistan army, tackled him and 3 of his subordinate troops alone and bare handedly and then obtained their arms.
In the night of 25 March, when the Pakistan Army launched the infamous Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani troops in Rangpur started by disarming Bengali guards at Rangpur Cantonment, then each Bengali patrol group was surrounded by waiting Pakistani soldiers on their return from regular patrolling and were disarmed. Bengali officers and soldiers of 23rd Field and 29 Cavalry were neutralised this way and most were executed. Pakistani troops moved into Rangpur on 25 March around 12:00 am and took up positions around the city. A Bengali officer captain Nawajesh had barely escaped from EPR HQ with some men, but the Pakistanis neutralised the police and remaining EPR troops easily.
In 28 March, one significant event took place in Rangpur cantonment. The Bengali mass of Rangpur City along with a huge number of tribal Santali fighters launched a pre-emptive attack on the cantonment with local arms like spears and poisonous arrows.[2] Showing extraordinary understanding of military strategies and valour, they flanked the Pakistani defences adjacent to the cantonment almost undetected and attacked them from a very unexpected and unprotected direction. They penetrated the Pakistani defence column and Pakistan forces opened fire, many Bengalis and Santalis laid down their lives. Although failed initially, this attack downed the morale of the Pakistani troops and they in retaliation started taking revenge on the corpses of the martyrs by burning those with patrols, executing existing Bengali troops of Pakistan army inside the cantonment, and torturing other family members and civilians stranded in the nearby Rangpur Central Jail.[3][4][5]
This cantonment was captured by pro-independence fighters of Bangladesh Forces in the month of November, within just one month after the death of famous freedom fighter of Rangpur, Shahid Mukhtar Elahi.[6][4]
Institutions
[edit]- Rangpur Cadet College[7]
- Cantonment Public School and College, Rangpur
- Rangpur Army Medical College
- Rangpur Army Medical College Shopping Mall[8]
- Bir Uttam Shaheed Mahbub Senanibas[9]
- Rangpur Cantonment Golf Club[10]
- The Millennium Stars School & College
- Bangladesh Army University of Science and Technology
References
[edit]- ^ "Cantonment Locations". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Rangpur Cantonment Siege Day observed". Bangladesh Post. 27 March 2022.
- ^ "Pakistani army massacred 10 intellectuals on April 4, 1971 in Rangpur". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 3 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Liberation war began decisively on March 28 in Rangpur". Dhaka Tribune. 13 March 2021.
- ^ "On this days in 71,600 people were killed at Nishbetganj". The Daily Star. 28 March 2013.
- ^ "Pakistani army massacred 10 intellectuals on April 4, 1971 in Rangpur". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 3 April 2023.
- ^ "100% golden A+ in Rangpur Cadet College". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "RAMC Shopping Complex launched in Rangpur". Daily Sun (Bangladesh).
- ^ "Army launches tree plantation campaign in Rangpur area". The Daily Star. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Moeen opens Rangpur Cantonment Golf Club". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
Cantonments of Bangladesh | |||
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