Imagine you and your friends are battling together on a battlefield. You are successfully operating everything and are almost at the verge of winning the battle. Suddenly, you got hit with some bullets. You could barely manage to stand after getting several shots. Physically, you are weak now. But, what will hurt you even more, mentally, is the fact that those bullets were fired by your friends. You understood it was a pure accident and mistake. But, you have no time now to save your life. Your enemies at the battlefield got advantage seeing the weak soldier, you, and helped you to end your life faster.
Such a tragic case had happened with Mohammad Ruhul Amin, one of the 7 Bir Sreshthos of Bangladesh. His story is an example of how sometimes even a small accident can cost heavily in our life. Ruhul Amin was unfortunate enough to first get hit by his friends and later killed by enemies. Nonetheless, his contributions in the war reminds us that not only Bangladeshi armies but also Bangladeshi Navy people also contributed equally for the independence of our country.
Even though almost all the dead freedom fighters during the Liberation War of Bangladesh had tragic endings, Ruhul Amin’s story is a little unique too as he died mainly due to an accident. Not many fighters face such bad luck in battles. Hence, now let’s dive into the full tragic, accidental story of Bir Sreshto Ruhul Amin.
Life of “Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin” at a glance:
Real Name: Mohammad Ruhul Amin
Date of Birth: 5 June 1935
Birth Place: Bagpanchra village, Bengal, British India, currently in Bangladesh, at Sonaimuri Upazila, Noakhali district
Date of Death: 10 December 1971
Place of Death: Rupsha river, Khulna
Baghmara village under Rupsha, Khulna
Cause of Death: Killed by Pakistani Navy
Age: 36
Father’s Name: Mohammad Azhar Patwari
Mother’s Name: Zulekha Khatun
Education:
➢ Baghchapra Primary School, Sonaimuri, Noakhali
➢ Amisha Para High School, Sonaimuri, Noakhali
Professions:
➢ Sailor, Pakistan Navy, in 1951
➢ Junior mechanical engineer, Pakistan Navy, in 1953
➢ Engine Room Artificer, Pakistan Navy
➢ Engine Room Artificer of Palash (Bangladesh warship), Bangladesh Navy, in 1971
Years of service: 1953 – 1971
Rank: Engine Room Artificer
Children: 5; three daughters and two sons
Religion: Muslim
Nationality: Bangladeshi
Award: (posthumously) Bir Sreshtho title
Eponyms:
➢ Ro Ro Ferry Bir Shreshtha Ruhul Amin
➢ The Bangladesh Navy warship BNS Shaheed Ruhul Amin
➢ Bir Shrestha Ruhul Amin Sarani, in Saidpur cantonment, Saidpur, Nilphamari
➢ Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium, Chittagong
➢ Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin Museum and Library, Baghpanchra of Sonaimuri in Noakhali
Early Life and Education:
On 5 June 1935, one of our 7 Bir Sreshthos, Mohammad Ruhul Amin was born at a village named Bagpanchra, in the then British India. The place, after independence of Bangladesh, is now under Sonaimuri Upazila of Noakhali district. He belonged to a decent muslim family. His father’s name was Mohammad Azhar Patwari and mother’s name was Zulekha Khatun. He was the eldest son of the family.
Not much is known about his childhood life. But, he spent his early childhood days at his village and from there he picked up his basic education.
He finished his primary education from local schools which is locally known as village maktab. Later he studied in Baghchapra Primary School and in Amisha Para High School. Both the institutions are located in his birth place. After that, in 1949, he passed his Matriculation Examination. He did not continue his studies further and immediately started his career.
Career:
Ruhul Amin began his job life, in 1953, by enrolling in the Pakistan Navy as a junior mechanical engineer. Soon for training purposes, he was transferred to PNS Karsaaj,which was a technical school for the Navy, located on Manora Island, close to Karachi, Pakistan. Then in 1958, he finished his professional training with distinction marks. Few years later, in 1965, he got accepted into the mechanical course. Following the course, Ruhul Amin was assigned to the position of Engine Room Artificer. He was then moved and worked as Engine Room Artificer-1 in the gunboat PNS Comilla under Bakhtiar Naval Base in Chattogram in 1968. Till the liberation war of Bangladesh started, he kept working there.
Participation and Contribution in Liberation War:
In 1971, when the War of Liberation was just beginning, once after the barbaric crackdown of 25 March happened, Ruhul Amin decided to leave his place of duty and returned to his native village home to join the war. Thus we can see his love for the motherland because if someone is not patriot enough, he will not take such a risky step in life.
At his hometown, at first, he took the initiative to gather all the youths and students of the village and organized a military training. Ruhul Amin knew that without proper training, it would be harder to battle against the strong Pakistani Army.
In May 1971, he, along with approximately five hundred young people from his hometown, crossed over to Tripura and arrived at Sector Headquarters 3 which was in Agartala, India. From then, all of them began to actively participate in the Liberation War. The sector was led by the former Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kazi Mohammad Shafiullah, who later got rewarded with the title Bir Uttom. Ruhul Amin fought a number of battles till September.
In September 1971, with the aim of establishing the ‘Bangladesh’ Navy, all of the Navy members were gathered together in Agartala and the foundational elements of the country’s naval force were established by the India government. For this project, Ruhul Amin, as he was already a navy person back in the Pakistan Navy, and along with other navy members, were sent to Calcutta. The Bangladesh Navy received two tugboats from the Indian government. These were converted into gunboats at the Calcutta Garden Reach Naval Workshop by adding a mine pod and buffer cannon. “Padma” and “Palash” were the names of the two gunboats. Ruhul Amin was appointed as an Artificer in the Engine Room of the ‘Palash’ gunboat.
On 6 December, the 2 Bangladeshi gunboats Padma, Palash,and an Indian gunboat Panvel of the allied forces began their journey from Haldia Naval Base, India, with the intention of capturing the Pakistan Naval Base PNS Titumir in Mongla Port. Another Indian boat, the BSF patrol boat “Chitrangada”, from Arai Banki in the Sundarbans, joined the other 3 gunboats on December 8. On December 9, they crossed the Heron Point without encountering any opposition or resistance from the Pakistan Navy or Army. On December 10, they left early and arrived at the Mongla Port, Khulna, at around 7:00 am. At Mongla, the patrol boat Chitrangada positioned itself, and Panvel, Padma, and Palash started to advance towards capturing the Titumir naval base from the Pakistan Navy after freeing Jessore. They arrived near Khulna Shipyard at about 2:00 pm. Everything was going on smoothly and successfully till now. The Navy members were feeling happy and proud with the operations. But who knew soon an accident at the Rupsha river in Khulna would take the life of Ruhul Amin and other Navy members?
Death:
At the Khulna Shipyard, near Rupsha river, three fighter planes were seen high up in the sky. Earlier that day, the Indian Air Force was shooting at various locations in Khulna City. The naval craft commanders in Padma and Palash told the soldiers that these were Indian aircrafts when they asked for permission to fire at them. Unintentionally, at one point, the Indian aircrafts started bombing over Palash and Padma. One of those bombs had fallen inside the warship ‘Palash’. The two ships, Padma and Palash, both caught fire because of the bomb. Everyone was given the order to exit the gunboat by the Palash captain. Ruhul Amin was working on that ship as an artificer. He remained inside the Palash and attempted to put out the warship’s engine room fire, disobeying orders to abandon ship. This shows his act of bravery. Due to an intense bombing, the engine room caught fire destroying everything inside. Ruhul Amin got hurt by another shell explosion that occurred in the engine room. He plunged into the water and, despite his injuries, he made the ship land. But due to his injury, he made the decision to abandon the ship. He jumped into the sea and with severe injury still he somehow managed to reach the shore. Unfortunately, he was mercilessly tortured and executed by bayonets by some razakars and the Pakistani army who were waiting there at the shore. This concluded the life of the brave man, Ruhul Amin. If only he could survive only 6 more days, he could see the ultimate result for which he was fighting for several months – the independence of Bangladesh.
Awards:
To acknowledge his extreme bravery, and contributions in the Liberation War of Bangladesh, Mohammad Ruhul Amin, posthumously, got the honor of ‘Bir Sreshtho’, which is the highest military award of Bangladesh.
Legacy:
Even though Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin had left us and our country by mistake, his contributions for the country are not forgettable. Hence, to remember his name and sacrifices that he made, the Bangladeshi government not only rewarded him with the title Bir Sreshtho, but also named few of the things after his name in honor of him.
Since Ruhul Amin was a Navy person, it is obvious that Bangladeshi water transports will be named after him to acknowledge his sacrifice for the country. That is why, one of the Bangladeshi Ro Ro Ferries, which is a special type of ferry that is specifically designed to transport vehicles, was named after Bir Shreshtha Ruhul Amin. Similarly, a warship by the Bangladesh Navy is called BNS Shaheed Ruhul Amin.
Furthermore, there is a road situated in Saidpur cantonment, at Saidpur of Nilphamari district which is named Bir Shrestha Ruhul Amin Sarani. At Chittagong, there is a stadium which is named Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium.
To honor and preserve the memory of the brave freedom fighter, a museum and library were constructed by the Bangladesh government in 2008 at the birthplace of Birshreshtha Ruhul Amin, which is in Baghpanchra of Sonaimuri in Noakhali district. However, due to low or no maintenance and negligence, it was seriously understaffed. Then in 2021, the then state minister for cultural affairs, KM Khalid, took the decision to include the library in the list of (Bangladeshi) libraries that receive annual grants from the government.
Personal Life:
Not much is known about Ruhul Amin’s personal life. However, it is said that he was known to be very obedient, courageous, dutiful and sincere. He also had a great thirst for education and Knowledge. As a result, it is reported that he took up a job in a newspaper, but he did not stay there for a long time due to his inquisitive and indecisive mind.
In his marital life, the name of his wife or his wedding year is unknown. But he had 5 children, and among them, 3 were daughters and 2 were sons. His eldest son, Bahar, was a captain of the Bangladesh Navy, and he died of cancer 26 years ago. His family lives in Sylhet now. On the other hand, the youngest son, Shawkat Ali (57 years old), is said to be mentally challenged. It is also said that he still struggles to maintain his family, after working as a day laborer and van-puller. The locals claim that the three daughters of Ruhul Amin take three-fourths of the government assistance meant for the family of martyr and this is the reason that the youngest son often passes through hard times with his scant income. His wife and daughter live at home in the village of Noakhali.
His three daughters are Nurjahan Begum (66 years old), Rizia Begum (60 years old), and Fatema Begum (58 years old). They are living with their respective husbands and children in the houses allocated by the government in Chittagong. It is reported that among the three sons-in-laws of Ruhul Amin, one is a Bangladesh Navy member, one is a private secretary of a former commerce minister, and another is involved in politics in Noakhali.
One of the 3 daughters, Nurjahan Begum said that they do not have a shortage of anything, and that they just lost one of their brothers at an early age like their father and their other brother is sick. From this we can conclude that perhaps, as the locals claimed, the 3 daughters are actually well-off now after taking off the huge portion of the money allocated for all the children of Ruhul Amin, and that they are depriving their only brother who is alive.
Ruhul Amin’s another daughter, Fatema Begum, in 2019, had collected an Awami League MP nomination form for having one of the seats reserved for women from Noakhali. According to the locals, Fatema Begum had sold all of the ornaments she received during her wedding and using that money, she had spent for the welfare of people in her area. She had relentlessly been working for the well-being of people. However, no update about her selection as an MP was found in the news
Conclusion:
Like other freedom fighters, Bir Sreshtho Ruhul Amin’s story is one of the great examples of true heroism and leadership. He also left a lesson for us that sometimes we need to make an ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. He showed us to be fearless and compassionate towards others. As we will look back at the story, we will be remembered about the sacrifices that our national heroes had made for our country. These will inspire us and the upcoming generations of Bangladesh to be more loving towards the motherland.