Brigadier General
A. N. M. Nuruzzaman
আ. ন. ম. নুরুজ্জামান
Personal details
BornDecember 1938
Narsingdi, Dhaka, British India (Now, Bangladesh)
Died16 March 1993
Stockholm, Sweden
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka
ProfessionMilitary officer
Awards Bir Uttom[1]
Military service
Allegiance Bangladesh
 Pakistan (before 1971)
Branch/service Pakistan Army
 Bangladesh Army
National Defence Force
Years of service1960-1993
RankBangladesh-army-OF-6 Brigadier General
UnitEast Bengal Regiment
Commands
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War

A.N.M Nuruzzaman Bir Uttom (December 1938 – 16 March 1993) was a Bangladeshi army officer, who was also a sector commander in the Bangladeshi War of Liberation. After the war he served as the first and only director general of the paramilitary force Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini.

Biography

Nuruzzaman was born in December 1938 in Saidabad, Raipura, Narsingdi. Abu Ahmad, his father, was a government officer. He graduated from Sunamganj High School and Sylhet Murari Chand College. He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1959 and afterward joined the Pakistan Military Academy. In 1960 he was commissioned in the Pakistan army as second lieutenant.[2]

Career

In 1968 he was promoted to the rank of captain and posted in Quetta, West Pakistan.[2]

Agartala Conspiracy case

He was one of the accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. After the case was withdrawn he was reinstated in service.[2]

Bangladesh Liberation war

Nuruzzaman joined the War of liberation in 1971 in the S-Force under K M Shafiullah,[3] commander of Sector-3. In September he was made the commander of sector-3 by the Mujibnagar Government. He served in that position till the end of Bangladesh Liberation War.[4]

Post Independence

He joined the Bangladesh army after the independence of Bangladesh, he was promoted to brigadier general. On 28 January 1972, he and Anwar Ul Alam meet to discuss the formation of Rakhi Bahini in Gonobhaban. In March 1972 Rakhi Bahini came into existence.[5] He was the director of Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini. He was in London when Sheikh Mujib was assassinated in 1975.[6] After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 he was placed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and performed diplomatic responsibilities in Australia, Philippines, Senegal, Canada and Sweden.[2]

Death

He died on 16 March 1993 in Stockholm while working as ambassador of Bangladesh to Sweden.[2]

Legacy

The government of Bangladesh awarded him the highest living gallantry award Bir Uttam for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Dhaka City Corporation renamed a road Bir Uttam ANM Nuruzzaman Sarak after him.[2]

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December, 1973; Ministry of Liberation War Affairs
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Nuruzzaman, Brigadier General ANM". Banglapedia. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Notable battles in the 11 Sectors". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Sector Commanders". The Daily Star. 15 December 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ^ Ahsan, Syed Badrul (13 January 2014). "Myth, reality and Rakkhi Bahini". The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. ^ Chowdhury, Kamran Reza. "New book defends roles of Rakkhi Bahini, Tofail". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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