1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency
Anti-Mujibist socialist insurgency after the independence of Bangladesh
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The 1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency refers to the period following the independence of Bangladesh, when factions opposing the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, including the left-wing Gonobahini, and the Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party fought an armed conflict against the government of Bangladesh between 1972 and 1975.[1][5][6]
- Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman[1] and takeover of power by Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad
- Counter-coup by Mujibist military officers and deposition of Khondaker Mostaq
- Sipahi–Janata Revolution by JASAD and Ziaur Rahman's ascension to power
- Kader Siddique's insurgency
| Bangladesh insurgency | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Cold War in Asia | |||||||
Soldiers of the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha being received by the public after the Sipahi–Janata Revolution on 7 November 1975 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Socialist insurgents:
Maoist insurgents:  Anti-Mujibist military factions
Other anti-Mujibist factions
| |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman X Tajuddin Ahmed X Muhammad Mansur Ali X Syed Nazrul Islam X A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman X Khaled Mosharraf X Jamil Uddin Ahmed † Khondkar Nazmul Huda † A. T. M. Haider † Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem K. M. Shafiullah Ziaur Rahman Shafaat Jamil (WIA) A. N. M. Nuruzzaman Abdul Kader Siddique (POW) |
 Abu Taher  M. A. Jalil (WIA) A. S. M. Abdur Rab (WIA) Hasanul Haq Inu (WIA) Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed  (POW)[d] Taheruddin Thakur (POW) Syed Faruque Rahman Mohammad Bazlul Huda Abdul Majed Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan A. K. M. Mohiuddin Ahmed Mohiuddin Ahmed Shariful Haque Dalim[e] Moslemuddin Khan[f] Siraj Sikder † | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini[1] Bangladesh Police[1] Bangladesh Army Lal Bahini |
Gonobahini Biplobi Shainik Sangstha Purba Banglar Jatiya Mukti Front Factions of the Bangladesh Army | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 16,000 JRB personnel (1975)[1] | N/A | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
3,000 Awami League members killed[3] 4 members of parliament killed[3] 65% of military officers lose control of their troops[4] |
Jasad: 6,000 killed (as per Jasad)[3] 3,000+ killed (as per Anthony Mascarenhas)[4] PBSP: Unknown, at least 1 killed Military: At least one executed 33 detained[g] 2,035 unspecified political opponents killed between 1972 and April 1973[3] | ||||||
|
2,000+ workers killed during the Mongla Port massacre[4] Total: 2,000 – 4,000+ combatants/activists killed[3][4] | |||||||
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The Sheikh Mujib government responded by forming the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini, which began a crackdown on the general populace.[1] The force became involved in the numerous charges of human rights abuse including political killings,[7][8][3] shooting by death squads,[9] and rape.[3] The insurgency was one of the main reasons for the fall of Sheikh Mujib.[10]
Background
In 1972, Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal was formed when it split from Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, under the leadership of Serajul Alam Khan, M. A. Jalil, ASM Abdur Rab and Shahjahan Siraj. Its armed wing, Gonobahini, led by Colonel Abu Taher and Hasanul Haq Inu, began an armed campaign against the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in order to establish scientific socialism and a Marxist state.[11]
Political killings
| Part of the 1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency | |
 Mosharraf Hossain, one of the many people killed during the killings | |
| Date | February 1, 1972 – December 16, 1974 |
|---|---|
| Type | Mass killing, murder, extrajudicial killing, state terrorism, domestic terrorism, dirty war, forced disappearance |
| Motive | To destroy the opposition |
| Perpetrators | Government: Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini Bangladesh Police Opposition: Gonobahini |
| Outcome |
|
| Deaths | 5,039 – 30,000 |
Anthony Mascarenhas states that by the end of 1973, the number of politically motivated murders in Bangladesh after independence was over 2000. The victims included some members of parliament and many of the murders were resulted of intra-party conflicts within the Awami League.[4] The Gonobahini also killed numerous Bangladesh Chhatra League and Awami League members.[5]
On the other hand, Maoists such as Siraj Sikder of the Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party and Abdul Haq began attacking the government and people whom they considered "class enemies".[12][13][10]
The government responded by forming the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini. Anthony Mascarenhas claimed that within three years, deaths of mostly Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal members reached 30,000, all of which were killed by the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini.[4] Journalists like Ahmed Musa suggest roughly 10,000–30,000 were killed, while JSD claims the killings were as high as 60,000.[10]
End of insurgency
After being de facto ruler of the nation, Ziaur Rahman realized that the disorder set off by the soldiers' mutiny had to be suppressed firmly if discipline was to be restored in the army. Ziaur Rahman declared martial law, cracked down on the Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal, Abu Taher was sentenced to death and other party figures had various terms of imprisonment slapped on them.[13]
Legacy
Human Rights Watch states that institutionalized violence committed by the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini during the insurgency, established the culture of impunity and widespread prevalence of abuses by security forces in independent Bangladesh.[7] Commentators have called the period a "dark chapter of Bangladesh's history."[10]
Notes
- During Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed's military junta and Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem's interim government
- Non-BJSL aligned trade unionists were considered enemies by the BAKSAL regime
- From 15 August to 6 November
- Arrested under the Sayem ministry on 6 November 1975, released in 1978
- Sentenced to death in absentia
- Sentenced to death in absentia