Shafi Imam Rumi
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Shafi Imam Rumi (Bengali: শফি ইমাম রুমী) was a guerrilla fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was the eldest son of Jahanara Imam. In her famous memoir regarding the war, Rumi was seen as one of the premier character in Jahanara Imam's memoire Ekattorer Dingulee and it is because of his death she is called Shaheed Janoni or martyred mother.
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[edit] Early life
Rumi was born on 29 March 1952 in the higher middle class family of Imam and Sharif. By March 1971, he completed his I.S.C. and got admitted in Engineering College[1] (currently BUET). He was also enrolled into Illinois Institute of Technology but did not took part due to the war.]][2]
[edit] Bangladesh Liberation War
During the earlier part of the war, Rumi constantly attempted to convenience her mother for giving him the permission to attend the war. As her mother finally agreed on 19 April 1971,[3] Rumi compiled his first attempt to cross the border on 2 May.[4] But he had to come back for adverse situation and became successful in his second try. He took training about the war in Melaghar, Agartala under Sector-2. It was the sector supervised by Khaled Mosharraf and Rashid Haider. After his training he came to Dhaka to join Crack Platoon, a group who directed major guerrilla operations versus Pakistan Army. His major target was to bomb the Siddhirganj Power Station.[5] Rumi operated some of closing encounters including the one at Dhanmondi road.[6]
After his operation he became a hero to his colleagues. He stayed the night of 29 August 1971 to his house, the night when Pakistan Army caught most of the guerrilla fighters based on their information from a mysterious source. His father, younger brother and a cousin were arrested with him. Army tortured both Rumi and others seriously and kept them in a small room where they were accompanied by many other victims of that night including artist Altaf Mahmud, Abul Barak and Rumi's colleague Azad, Jewel and others.[7] In that room Rumi explained to his brother Jami that army already are fully aware of his operations and he and his colleague Bodi took the full responsibly of the attacks. He advised Sharif and Jami to give the same statements and to tell the army that the family (of Rumi) were completely unawared of his activities. At the afternoon of that day, Rumi was with Bodi and Chullu and he was never to be seen again.[8]
As Yahya Khan was set to announce mass merci on 5 September 1971 many family relatives instated to ask Mersi petition for Rumi to the government. But Sharif refused as doing so would dishonor Rumi's ideology.[9]
[edit] Citations
[edit] References
- Imam, Jahanara (1986), Ekattorer Dinguli, Shandhani Prakashani, Dhaka, ISBN 984-480-000-5 (Bengali)
