Bir Pratik Taramon Bibi passes away

Awarded freedom fighter Taramon Bibi Bir Pratik passed away at her house at Kacharipara village in Kurigram’s Rajibpur upazila yesterday. She was 61.

She was laid to rest with state honours in her family graveyard—the Kacharipara graveyard of Rajibpur town—at 2:30pm after the Namaz-e-janaza.

“She had been suffering from respiratory complications.The end came at 1:30 am,” her son, Abu Taher, said. She leaves behind her husband, a son, a daughter and a host relatives and freedom fighters. Taramon Bibi Bir Pratik was one of two awarded women freedom fighters of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

She fought in different areas of Rowmarithana (now Rowmari and Rajibpur upazilas) of Kurigram, falling under Sector 11 during the 1971 Liberation War.

The heroic woman was the daughter of Abdus Sobhan and Kulsum Bibi of Shankar Madhobpur village of Kodalkati union, in Rajibpur upazila of Kurigram district.

Before being introduced as an awarded freedom fighter, she worked as a house maid and passed through a lot of hardship. She suffered from illness several times. Taramon Bibi often passed her time memorising incidents of the Liberation War.

During the Liberation War, freedom fighters formed the first camp at Abdul Aziz Master’s house in Sankar Madhobpur village. A cook was needed for the camp. Taramon’s cousin Khalil Islam requested her mother to let Taramon do the cooking in the camp.

Taramon’s mother wanted to know whether she would agree to do the work, and who would take responsibility for her in the camp

On her mother’s request, a freedom fighter, (EPR Habildar) Muhib, adopted Taramon as a foster-daughter for the cooking job while she was around 14.

In the camp, she would prepare rice and curry and send it to the nearest three camps.   

After some days, the camp was shifted to Insaf Ali’s house at a nearby village in Rowmarithana. The camp was shifted four times.  Her daily work involved cooking, washing clothes, preserving arms in the camp, listening to radio messages and locating Pakistani soldiers.       

Once during leisure time, her foster-father, Habildar Muhib, himself a freedom fighter, called her and said: “Taramon, will you learn how to fire?”

She was scared and replied: “Could I do it”?

From then, her new life started. She was introduced to various types of arms in the leisure time. At first, she learnt to fire rifle. On the first day, she felt a pain in the chest caused by the force of firing.

One day at noon, Pakistani soldiers attacked the freedom fighters’ camp. Taramon took part in the fighting along with freedom fighters. Later, she took part in more fighting.

She would go to Pakistani army camps putting black-ink on her face. Sometimes she would pretend to be a mad woman and beg for food from Pakistani soldiers. They would throw bread at her and drive her away from the camp. She would note the position and number of Pakistani soldiers, and inform freedom fighters.

When they were at the Kalasona Ketontari camp of Rowmari, the country became independent in December 1971. Muhib Habildar and Taramon went to the Joydebhpur Army Cantonment (Dhaka) to hand over arms. There the two stayed for about an year. Later, she returned to her father’s house at Sankar Madhobpur village of Roumarithana in Kurigram. Taramon Bibi remained out of sight for long after the Liberation War. An investigator of Mymensing district found her and introduced her to the nation.