Bangladesh War Research Articles

Tracing Memory, Trauma, and Childhood: The Bangladesh Liberation War in Sorayya Khan’s Noor

This article addresses the representation of childhood memory and trauma in Sorayya Khan’s novel Noor (2003) against the backdrop of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. It discusses how personal recollections of public events contribute to the collective memory of the nation-state. The exploration includes the intergenerational transmission of trauma, employing Marianne Hirsch’s concept of ‘Postmemory,’ which describes how traumatic experiences are passed down, particularly in the context of the Holocaust. This framework has been contextualized within the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and its aftermath on children, carrying the memories of war trauma forward, as illustrated in the novel through Noor and Sajida’s experiences. Through a close reading of the novel, this article aims to extricate the underlying patterns of childhood war memory and personal experiences that often get subsided in historical representations and emphasizes the pertinence of reading a representational narrative of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War even after half a century.

Nexus between India and Bangladesh in the Liberation War of Bangladesh: Consequences of International Agreement

The support of India and the Soviet Union was very important in the liberation war of Bangladesh, 1971 and the then East Pakistan witnessed a brutal struggle for independence. Amidst the liberation war a triangle web of international alliances and strategic moves attempt to create hegemony in this region. However, it is very urgent to understand the background of why and how India was active, and its attitude was positive in the liberation war of Bangladesh. The present study will investigate these research questions through secondary sources. This present study is qualitative in nature and historical events were explained leveraging the decision making and games theory as theoretical framework. The historic Indo-Soviet Treaty had an immediate impact on the decisive battle between India and Pakistan in the eastern war theater. This paper deals with the explanation for establishing a treaty that was signed between the Soviet Union and India. A focus has been made on the reasons for India's diplomatic role in the liberation war of Bangladesh. This paper also highlights that the friendship treaty between these two countries was not signed to help and aid East Pakistan, but its background prevailed in the 1954 SEATO treaty and aftermath in 1955 Bandung conference that made close friendship ties with USSR and India. Geopolitics, history and international politics played a vital role in signing the treaty that created a nexus between India and Bangladesh during liberation war of Bangladesh.

India-Bangladesh Conflict: An Overview

Abstract: The India-Bangladesh conflict primarily revolves around historical, territorial and resource-related disputes that have shaped the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring South Asian countries. Emerging from the Partition of British India in 1947 and the subsequent creation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), tensions escalated during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which resulted in Bangladesh's independence with Indian military support. Key areas of conflict have included the demarcation of borders, particularly over the disputed enclaves, the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal, and the sharing of transboundary river waters, such as the Ganges and the Teesta. While the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015 resolved several border issues, the water-sharing disputes remain unresolved, particularly concerning the Teesta River, which is critical to Bangladesh’s agriculture. Additionally, non-traditional security concerns such as illegal migration, cross-border insurgencies, and trafficking continue to challenge bilateral relations. Nevertheless, India and Bangladesh have strengthened their cooperation in recent years, particularly in trade, energy and regional security, while both countries seek to balance their national interests within a framework of diplomacy and economic interdependence. This overview highlights that while conflict persists in certain areas, India and Bangladesh have made significant strides in resolving disputes and fostering collaboration, although challenges remain in ensuring equitable resource distribution and addressing mutual security concerns.

THE PLIGHT OF BANGLADESHI UNDERTRIAL PRISONERS IN INDIA: A CRISIS OF JUSTICE

The largest group of foreign national inmates in India is Bangladeshi inmates. Bangladeshis made up 68.8% of the 5,168 foreign national prisoners housed at the end of 2018, according to data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). It is important to consider the high number of prisoners from Bangladesh in India when considering their shared history, as well as the frequent movements and social interactions across their porous borders. Following India's partition in 1947 and again during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, there was a significant migration from Bangladesh to India. The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 as a result of the significant outcry over the flood of Bangladeshi migrants in Assam. In the 2005 case of Sarbananda Sonowal v. Union of India, the Supreme Court of India invalidated the Illegal Migrants (Determination of Tribunal) Act, 1983, which established the processes for identifying and removing illegal migrants from Assam. The court ruled that the Act violated Articles 14 and 355 of the Indian Constitution. The publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam on August 31, 2019, which excluded 1.9 million people as citizens of India, has brought the topic of detention and deportation of illegal migrants back into the public eye. This research paper is an attempt to examine the reasons behind the imprisonment of Bangladeshi undertrial prisoners in India particularly in some cases even if they have completed more than half of the sentences provided under the law for those offences and to find out some remedial measures for those who for some reason have came to India and thereafter, have never been able to return to their country of origin.

The Good Muslim as a Quest for Jus Post Bellum in a Nation in Transition

This paper explores the search for justice after the war in Tahmima Anam’s novel, The Good Muslim. The novel deals with the aftermath of ‘the Liberation War of Bangladesh’ in the 1970s and early 80s, when the country was gravely suffering from famine, consecutive murders of their prominent leaders, political upheavals, natural disasters, and paralyzed democratic norms in the hands of a Dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad. In such a context, Maya Haque, the protagonist of the novel, and an erstwhile freedom fighter continues writing and fighting for modern education, justice for the rape victims of the war, and democracy in the country. The study analyzes narrative data from the novel to see how the female characters struggle for justice after the war. For this purpose, it uses Larry May’s insights on ‘jus post bellum’. May has proposed six criteria for post-war justice, including ‘reconciliation’ and ‘rebuilding’, to maintain lasting peace in a post-war society. The novel entails these conditions and brings transitional justice to the fore of discourse through the literary creation. The paper claims that the protagonist is not only raising her voice for certain characters in the novel, rather she is constantly contributing to the broader issue of jus post bellum, which has been the most important, yet the most ‘neglected’ topic in just war theories. The article concludes with the idea that a fictitious work like The Good Muslim can be a good voice for the voiceless and a loud and clear advocacy for justice after the war. It can contribute to maintaining law and order and build up lasting peace preventing further violence in a postwar society.

Redrawing Gender Boundaries in Selina Hossain’s River of My Blood

This study seeks to examine and reinterpret gender roles shown in the book River of My Blood (Hangor Nodi Grenade, titled in Bangla) by Selina Hossain. Hossain's (2016) work is a compelling story that questions conventional standards by emphasizing the changing experiences of its three central female characters, Boori, Nita, and Ramija. These people live in a society allegedly to be puritanical and misogynistic, in which women have little independence. They are faced with thoughtful questions on the political and sexual persecution of women as well as the differences in political processes. The book, set against the backdrop of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, offers an authentic and detailed account of a significant historical event. Through the characters in this book, the author, Selina Hossain, demonstrates her skill in examining the issue of identity while questioning stereotypical gender norms. This study examines the book's potential to inspire readers by challenging gender stereotypes and presenting perspectives on identity and social roles. This study employed a qualitative research approach, with thematic analysis being the primary method used for data collection. The study showed how the book challenges gender stereotypes and presents perspectives on identity and social roles.

Bangladesh-India Land Boundary Agreements, 1974-2015: Context, Correlations and Territoriality

Bangladesh and India share 4096.7 km. land boundary, which was drawn between India and the eastern part of Pakistan (East Bengal) by the Radcliffe Award during the partition of 1947. This boundary became the Bangladesh-India boundary after the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. Therefore, the Pakistan-India land boundary disputes over the un-demarcated boundary, adverse possessions and enclaves transformed into Bangladesh-India ones. These land boundary disputes witnessed one summit-level agreement between Pakistan and India and three summit-level agreements between Bangladesh and India. However, the land boundary disputes were eventually resolved under the land swap deal of 2015. This striking background led to the question as to why these issues were hung up for 68 years, what contexts led to several summit-level agreements on the same issues, and what were the correlations among the agreements. Against this background, this article attempts to shed light on how India, being the big neighbour, dominated the entire trajectory of the land boundary disputes and how it changed its agreed positions from one agreement to another. However, the main objective of this article is to see whether India’s territoriality towards its border with Bangladesh was gradually transformed into the pattern of a zero-sum game during the period from 1974 to 2015, and what was the corresponding territoriality of Bangladesh. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (Hum.), Vol. 69(1), 2024, pp. 89-106

Bangladesh-Pakistan Conflict: An Overview

The Bangladesh-Pakistan conflict, rooted in the events of 1971, marked a pivotal moment in South Asian history. The conflict emerged from deep-seated political, economic, and cultural disparities between East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (now Pakistan). Despites East Pakistan's larger population, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan, leading to widespread discontent. In the 1970 general elections, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a majority but was denied power, igniting demands for autonomy in East Pakistan. The situation escalated on March 25, 1971, when the Pakistani military launched Operation Searchlight, a brutal crackdown aimed at quelling the independence movement. This resulted in mass atrocities, including killings, rapes, and the displacement of millions. The ensuing Bangladesh Liberation War saw the emergence of the Mukti Bahini (Liberation Army), with significant civilian support for independence. India's intervention, both in terms of support for the Mukti Bahini and direct military involvement, was crucial in the conflict's resolution. The war ended with the surrender of Pakistani forces on December 16, 1971, leading to the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation. The conflict caused extensive loss of life and destruction, leaving a legacy of strained Bangladesh-Pakistan relations and ongoing efforts to address the war's human rights violations.

Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis (1934-2022): Trailblazer in Diarrheal Disease Management.

Dilip Mahalanabis, an esteemed Indian pediatrician, revolutionized global health through his pioneering work in combatting diarrheal diseases, particularly during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. His development of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) provided a simple, cost-effective solution that significantly reduced mortality rates among cholera patients. Mahalanabis'dedication to equitable healthcare, evidenced by his leadership roles in organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), underscores his legacy as a champion for vulnerable populations. ORT's widespread adoption has democratized treatment, empowering communities and drastically reducing mortality rates associated with diarrheal diseases.

Investigation of graph-based clustering approaches along with graph neural networks for modeling armed conflict in Bangladesh

Investigation of graph-based clustering approaches along with graph neural networks for modeling armed conflict in Bangladesh

Role of Bengali Competitive Identity in the Creation of Bangladesh: An Overview

Role of Bengali Competitive Identity in the Creation of Bangladesh: An Overview

Literature Review of Research on Biharis Issue in Bangladesh

During the partition of India, approximately 1.3 million Urdu-speaking Muslims, suffering communal riots, migrated to the former East Pakistan (Bangladesh). They were known as Biharis. The Pakistan ruling class prefered Biharis due to their Muhajir status. Therefore, they supported Pakistani domination consciously. Some Biharis joined the Pakistan army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. With the establishment of Bangladesh, all Biharis were considered traitors.A number of Biharis opted for Pakistan. Despite a repatriation process lasting over 20 years, many Biharis still stranded in Bangladesh. The Biharis were granted Bangladeshi citizenship in 2008. However, they continue to face challenges integrating into mainstream in terms of education, employment, travel and residence in Bangladesh.Since the 1970s, extensive research has been conducted by the international academic community on various aspects related to the origin of Biharis, repatriation efforts, identity issues and human rights. With the influence of international academics, there has been an increasing focus within Chinese academics on the plight of Biharis in Bangladesh.The Biharis issue in Bangladesh remains further study from various perspectives and angles. We can understand nation-state construction processes of Bangladesh as well as examining geopolitical dynamics within South Asia from an ethnic perspective.

Exploring the Bangladesh Liberation War: A Study of Tahmima Anam's Select Novels

This paper attempts to enunciate the Liberation War of Bangladesh, its history, and the occurrence of the events that led to the War as present Bangladesh is essentially the outcome of the sacrifice, loss, and bloodshed of millions of people involved in the war of 1971. It marked the creation of two nations separating East Pakistan from West Pakistan and forming a new nation called Bangladesh on 16th December 1971. The East Pakistanis wanted to preserve their culture, ethnicity, and identity as Bengali Muslims which was not possible in United Pakistan and this led to the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The 1971 war has a great impact on the creation of an independent identity for the Bangladeshi people. The stance for an independent national identity created the zeal to fight for their rights and self-recognition. The effects of war have always been engraved on the minds of the survivors as it is engulfed with human suffering, emotions, and violence. The paper will explore the Liberation War of Bangladesh, the struggle, pain, and hardship portrayed through the characters in Tahmima Anam’s select novels namely A Golden Age and The Good Muslim.

Patriotism in the Poetry and Songs of Poet Daloar

Poet Daloar is a prominent Bengali poet. He is known as the "Poet of the Masses" because his poetry reflects the thoughts and emotions of ordinary Bangladeshis. Daloar's work is filled with patriotism, especially evident during the Bangladesh Liberation War. His poems and songs depict the love for the country and its people. He believed that poetry has the power to influence and inspire people. Daloar's work, infused with socialist ideals, calls for equality and justice, drawing inspiration from global leaders like Mandela and Lenin. Despite personal hardships, his writings remained a steadfast source of patriotic fervor. Daloar's legacy endures through his poems and songs, which continue to resonate with themes of national pride and the fight for human rights. Daloar's transformation played a significant role in both national and international platforms.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 7th March Speech: An Analysis Through Performance Study Lens

This paper critically examines Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 7th March speech from a performance studies perspective. It argues that the speech, delivered at a crucial juncture in the Bangladesh Liberation War, utilized performative language and embodied performance techniques to galvanize the Bengali population. This paper analyzes how Mujib's rhetoric transformed social realities and mobilized a nation towards independence by applying theories from performance studies, including those of J.L. Austin, Judith Butler, Erving Goffman, and Richard Schechner. The findings suggest that Mujib’s strategic use of pronouns, emotive expressions, rhetorical questions, and repetitive phrases, along with his dynamic body language, created a powerful performative act that effectively united and motivated the audience. Concluding comments emphasize the enduring impact of Mujib's speech on the formation of Bangladeshi national identity. Research implications highlight the importance of viewing political speeches through the lens of performance studies to understand their broader social and cultural impacts. Limitations of the study include the reliance on textual analysis without incorporating audience reception data, which could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the speech's impact.

East Bengal-Mohun Bagan football fans and Indian politics: parochialism and nationalism in simultaneity?

ABSTRACT The footballing rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, India, explicates important facets of the politics of nation-building and identity formation through sport. The sporting nationalism of the colonial era gave way to narrow parochialism in post-independent India where the cultural differences of Bangals (original Hindu residents of East Bengal in colonial India and Hindu migrants from East Bengal/East Pakistan in postcolonial India) and Ghotis (original residents of western parts of Bengal in colonial India and of West Bengal in postcolonial India) emerged as the key linchpin of expressing allegiance to their respective club football teams particularly in the aftermath of immigration of refugees which took place as a result of the partition of 1947 and the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. However, the legislations pertaining to Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and National Register of Citizens (NRC) have propelled fans of these clubs to forego their sub-cultural differences and act in unison to express their grievances against the new regulations of the Indian state. The anti-NRC protest by the fans hinges on the link between football and the debates pertaining to the idea of citizenship in contemporary Indian politics. The displaying of Tifos by the fans that exhibited significant social messages bears semblance with the Ultras of European football.

Ex Post Facto Prosecution of International Crimes in the Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal: An Issue of Constitutionality

Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal-a domestic criminal court is currently prosecuting the offenders of atrocious crimes perpetrated in the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. Though the atrocious offenses took place in 1971, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act 1973 was decreed by Bangladeshi Parliament in 1973, and the Tribunal was established in 2010; hence the ICT Act 1973 is considered as an ex post facto (retrospective) legislation because it has been promulgated after the commission of the crimes. Therefore, this study first analyzes the importance of ex post facto law’s prohibition in customary international law. Secondly, the study highlights how the 1973 ICT Act applies to prosecute the ICTB’s defendants retrospectively by amending the constitution of Bangladesh. Thirdly, it examines the ex post facto legislation’s application in the Bangladesh Tribunal and the issue of constitutionality because rules on the prohibition of retrospective legislation is one of the fundamental rights of every citizen that need to be safeguarded by every constitution of civilized nations. Lastly, this study's originality proves that ex post facto law’s application in the ICTB is unconstitutional. Then, this research paper concludes by inferring that the government of Bangladesh needs to amend the constitution to prohibit the ex post facto law’s implementation through the Tribunal that will enhance the legal acceptability of the War Crimes Court because the recent Criminal Court in question is operating under the Bangladeshi government.

সুন্দরবনের জল ও জঙ্গলে বাংলাদেশের মুক্তিযুদ্ধ: নব্য-নির্ধারণবাদী বিশ্লেষণ

In the Liberation War of Bangladesh, its geographical features were influential in many ways on the activities of the freedom fighters and their opposing forces. This is even more true in the case of the liberation war of the Sundarbans in water and jungle. In June 1971, Under Lt. Ziauddin's leadership, freedom fighter bases were established inside the Sundarbans. The group is organised in the deep forest, accepting and in some cases overcoming the various obstacles of nature. Using the natural obstacles to their advantage, they again engaged the Pakistani troops and their allied forces in the immediate area. Using their positional advantage, these freedom fighters played an effective role in sending refugees and trainees across the border. On the other hand, the freedom fighters in Sundarbans were used as a transit for many of the freedom fighters who came from July with training and weapons to the interior of the country, especially in the Khulna-Barisal region. This article analyses such activities of the Sundarbans freedom fighters in a neo-deterministic trend.

‘Occupying’ the womb: Disrupted kinship futures and sovereign logics in sexual violence during wars

This article seeks to ethnographically highlight the multiple uses of gene/alogy (as explored by Franklin and McKinnon in the 2000s) in the context of the Bangladesh war of 1971, and hence maps out the range of violence and ambivalences at the heart of kinship. It aims to do so by exploring the process through which disrupted kinship futures are seen as a cornerstone for discourses of war and sovereign practices to justify sexual violence during wars. The formation of Bangladesh in 1971 coincided with the rape of 200,000 (contested and official numbers) Bengali women perpetrated by the Pakistani army and its local collaborators. The article explores the occupation of the womb, that is, the connotation of genetic or ethnic fixing through sexual violence by the Pakistani army, which is apparently an attempt to disrupt the kinship futures of East Pakistan (that later became independent Bangladesh). The sovereign logic of disrupting kinship futures of those that one feels the need to attack, weaken and annihilate (in this case East Pakistanis) is, however, based on a process of naturalisation of inequalities drawn from historical and racialised accounts. The article argues that the sovereign belief in being able to genetically and behaviourally ‘fix’ East Pakistanis through wartime sexual violence, and to instil fear, is possible through the sovereign inhabitation of the inhumanity of sexual violence. Therein lies the vulnerability of sovereign power, the paradox of kinship and its processes of inclusions and ruptures in the future. In seeking to develop a wider theoretical contribution about kinship as the cornerstone of statecraft and wars, the article also seeks to show how military rape alters the grounds of the nation itself, the experiences and imaginations over a period of half a century, and instils various forms of ambiguities about the history of wartime sexual violence.

United Nations Security Council’s Role in the Liberation War of Bangladesh: Critical Analysis

Bangladeshis began their fight for independence on March 26, 1971, as a response to Pakistani rule that was unfair to their race and treated them like a colony within their own country. Between the start of the Liberation War and November, the UNO's main job was to provide aid and support for civilians. When India and Pakistan went to war on December 3 over the Liberation War, the UN Security Council got very busy. The Security Council met nonstop during this time and discussed many ideas and counter-proposals. Two superpowers of this time, USA and the Soviet Union, took opposing positions in the Security Council. United States and China sided with Pakistan while Soviet Union sided with Bangladesh (East Pakistan). In the Security Council, France and Britain remained neutral and did not vote. The Security Council could not reach a consensus. After debate and vote in the Security Council, the agenda was transmitted to the General Assembly on 6 December. General Assembly passed a 'Unity Formula for Peace' resolution by an overwhelming majority on December 7. India and Bangladesh rejected this idea; therefore, the US called a second Security Council session. The Security Council met from 12 to 21 December at various times. Bangladesh's independence on December 16 altered everything. International representatives acknowledged reality and unanimously approved a ceasefire agreement on December 21, resolving the long-awaited Bangladesh problem.