Dalim incident proves a sore point for young army officers

Towards the end of January 1974 some young army officers were involved in an incident which would have a direct bearing on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's assassination. The occasion was a wedding reception in the Dhaka Ladies Club hosted by Major Shariful Haq 'Dalim' and his attractive wife Nimmi for Dalim's cousin Tahmina who was marrying Colonel Reza. Many high-ranking dignitaries from civil and military world were present as invited guests.

Nimmi is the daughter of R. I. Chowdhury and her family were close friends of Sheikh Mujib and his family. Begum Chowdhury, a senior member of the Awami League, had accompanied Begum Mujib when she came to London for medical attention in 1973. R. I. Chowdhury, who was First Secretary (Consular) in the London High Commission, had also been favoured by Sheikh Mujib with more than the normal extensions of service after reaching retirement age. Thus Dalim and his wife were considered part of the 'in' set, but perhaps not so well in with Mujib as the brother of another guest at that wedding, Gazi Golam Mostafa. Apart from holding a very lucrative position as Chairman of the Bangladesh Red Cross, Gazi was also the Awami League's hard hitting city boss in Dhaka. In the later capacity he was Sheikh Mujib's right-hand man, very tough, powerful and free-wheeling and was known privately as "Lord of the Bustees (Slums)".

In one version of the story, Gazi Golam Mostafa's brother is alleged to have made some insulting remarks about Nimmi which led to altercation where Gazi's "bully-boys is said to have joined and roughed up the army couple". Some of the guest say the thugs attempted to kidnap them, but there was no confirmation of this.

In another version, Gazi Golam Mostafa is alleged to have kidnapped Major Dalim, Nimmi and their aunt after an altercation between Gazi's teenage sons and Dalim's brother-in-law Bappi from Canada. According to this version an incensed Gazi stormed into Ladies Club in the middle of the wedding ceremony with a car and two microbuses filled with 10-12 civilian with sten guns and kidnapped Major Dalim, two of his freedom fighter friends (Alam and Chullu), his wife Nimmi and his aunt who was also the bride's mother.

Where is Major Dalim? What does he think of himself. He has gone too far. I shall teach him a lesson today.

Gazi Golam Mostafa is alleged to have shouted at the top of his voice

Gazi Golam Mostafa had intended to take them to the notorious Rakkhi Bahini's headquarter in Sher-e-Banglanagar (known as the Second Capital) but Dalim talked him into taking them to Sheikh Mujib first to resolve the matter as many people had witnessed their abduction and "the situation could get out of control". Thus Gazi changed his mind and took them to Sheikh Mujib's home in Dhanmondi where both parties appealed to Sheikh Mujib for redress.

Regardless of the true version of the incident, the end result was disastrous. Dalim's army colleagues decided to take immediate action. They piled into two trucks and went hunting for the offending gang and ended up wrecking Gazi Golam Mostafa's bungalow. They raided the house and took everyone available into custody. The army also established check posts all over the city and checked every passing car.

Sheikh Mujib was visibly incensed with Gazi's hot-headedness and called upon Chief of Army Staff Major General K. M. Shafiullah to dampen the tension.

"Damn fool! What have you done?" Roared Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He left his chair came forward and embraced both of us. Khalamma could not walk properly. Kamal and others helped them to up stairs. It was a pathetic seen. In the room we were only four of us Nimmi, Sheikh Saheb, Gazi and myself. Nimmi out of anguish, anger and insult burst into tears. Sheikh Saheb was trying to clam her down. Gazi was standing at a corner trembling like a guilty person. Suddenly the Red telephone rang. The call was from Gazi’s residence. The army had raided his house and took every one available into custody. Not only that, the army established check posts all over the city and checking every passing car. As the news of the kidnapping reached the officer’s mess, the young officers came out instantaneously and had started looking for Major Dalim and his wife. Members of the MP units were all over in strength. There was a hue and cry in the Capital. Gazi is also missing. After receiving the call Sheikh Saheb’s face became dark. Immediately he picked up the other receiver and in front of us called Major General Shafiullah and said, "Hello Shafiullah! Gazi Dalim and Nimmi all are here with me. I want you here right away".

After talking to Major General Shafiullah he turned to Gazi and said, "Come on! beg apology from Nimmi and Dalim".

As Gazi took a step forward Nimmi roared like a wounded tigress.

"Don’t you dare to come near me. A swine like you don’t have any right to beg apology". Then she turned towards Sheikh Mujib and said: "On whose blood you are the Prime Minister today? You claim yourself to be the father of the nation. I want justice from you. I want the same kind of justice that you would have meted out had it been either Sheikh Hasina or Sheikh Rehana in my place insulted in similar way. I want a reply from you. How dare this man - Gazi, the 'Kambal Chor' dares to lay hands on those freedom fighters on whose blood and sweat you and your party are enjoying the power today? I want an answer. Uptill now you can not say that I had ever asked anything from you personally. But today I am asking fair justice. If you don’t do the justice then Allah will render his judgment".

In spite of my best efforts I failed to claim her down that day. Usually soft and composed Nimmi even could have such fire within herself that became known to me just on that day. It was quite amazing for me.

Sheikh Saheb again embraced her affectionately and said "Maa please cool down. You are just like Hasina and Rehana to me. I shall definitely do the justice. It is really very wrong! Grossly incorrect! Please you calm yourself".

Then he called Sheikh Rehana and asked her to take Nimmi up stairs.

Major Dalim re-accounts the ordeal

Once Major General Shafiullah arrived and Major Dalim had reassured his colleagues that they were well, Sheikh Mujib asked Dalim to forgive Gazi and turning to Gazi with annoyance ordered him to "go and complete the ceremony". However, Dalim was not willing to forgive nor forget.

Mr. Gazi need not have to come to complete the ceremony. I can neither forgive him. That will be against my principles. We fought and liberated the country sacrificing our blood. Shedding blood is nothing new for us. We are serving in uniform not for money. Mr. Gazi has very wrongfully hurt my pride as a freedom fighter and has dishonored my uniform. You had deployed us to protect the people and to ensure their security to get hold of the armed miscreants and to punish them. In such a situation we are being dishonored. As the Prime Minister of the country you have promised to do justice. We shall wait to see what justice your render.

Major Dalim tells Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,

Though Sheikh Mujib managed to temporarily soothe the situation the incident soured all relationship. Gazi Golam Mostafa would not forget the incident in a hurry.

Later, Major Dalim was posted in Comilla Cantonment as a troop of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment along with Captain Bazlul Huda and Major Aziz Pasha. Here they met with Major Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, the Chief Inspector of Army School of Physical Training in Comilla. However, after an incident was reported, Sheikh Mujib instituted a military inquiry into the young officers' misconduct. As a result 22 young officers were dismissed or prematurely retired from service for 'a breach of indiscipline'. Among them were Major Dalim, Major Nur Chowdhury (ADC to General Osmani) and Captain Huda.

Major Dalim believed Gazi Golam Mostafa had influenced the decision as many of the officers who were dismissed had attacked and ransacked his house during the wedding incident. This new incident gave Gazi the perfect excuse 'to get even'.

Thus Tahmina’s marriage became a witness to a historic event and a night to remember. The event itself has become a glaring testimony to prove the reckless and outrageous atrocities of the Awami League leaders and their private Bahinis. I was not finding any justification for such an hineous act where a man of Gazi Golam Mostafa's stature could personally get involved.

Much later I gathered from various reliable sources that after our Comilla operation the Awami League brought in lot of pressure on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to teach a lesson to me for my outrageous action. But Sheikh Mujib under such pressure had said to his party people, "Army has not done their job as novice. They have done everything as par law. Each and every one was caught red-handed with evidences. In such a situation what can I do?" Against this inability Gazi took the responsibility on behalf of the party to teach me a lesson. For long he was looking for a chance. And the chance came. On the marriage night whatever had happened between Bappi and his sons he wanted to capitalize on that to teach me a befitting lesson.

Major Dalim

The Dalim incidents caused discontentment to grow within the army who were aggrieved by the perceived nepotism of Sheikh Mujib. Whilst young talented officers like Major Dalim were discounted and their military career ended, people close to Sheikh Mujib were being rewarded. Gazi Golam Mostafa, for example, became an Executive Committee Member of BAKSAL.

As a gesture to the family Sheikh Mujib tried to make it up to Dalim by assisting him in setting up a business venture. The hurt, however, rankled. A year later the three ex-army officers would figure prominently in Sheikh Mujib's assassination.

Meanwhile the Dalim incident caused widespread resentment among the younger officers. They felt betrayed not only by Sheikh Mujib but also by their seniors in the army. Many of them began to carry side arms for personal protection whenever they went out with their families and they talked openly about their dissatisfaction. Military messes became centres of plotting. The intelligence services kept close tabs on all this and when their reports reached Sheikh Mujib he made no secret of his intention to supplant the army with the Rakkhi Bahini. The more he moved in that direction, the more he alienated the army.

Antohony Mascarenhas,

Meanwhile, a frustrated Major Shahriar resigned from the Bangladesh Army and started a business dealing in old TV and Refrigerators in Dhaka. There he met with Major Dalim on regular basis and both discussed their frustration.

One day Major Dalim came to (my) business office and lamented that it is a far cry to get any justice for freedom fighters like them, rather it was difficult for them to survive.

Nobody would care about them even if they die on the road.

He further said that on one hand Sheikh Mujib was brain washed and on the other, everybody surrounded him in such a way that he was not allowed to know the truth. This must be redressed.

Major Dalim shares his frustration with Major Shahriar

Gift of tea result in Farook getting Egyptian tanks which kills Sheikh Mujib

During the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973, the Bangladesh government, anxious to make a show of support for the Arab cause, decided to make a gift of a plane-load of the finest domestic tea to Egypt. In the absence of more tangible support with money and arms, the tea was at best a token gesture. On 27 October 1973 a Bangladesh Biman 707 with the fragrant cargo took off from Dhaka and after attempting a landing at Cairo airport, which was closed, was diverted to Benghazi in Libya where it off-loaded the tea.

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat never forgot Bangladesh's unusual gesture and decided to make a handsome gesture in return. He knew that Bangladesh had no worthy armaments so he gifted them 30 T-54 tanks. The offer was conveyed to Sheikh Mujib in the spring of 1974. It dismayed him. He was alarmed at the prospect of having such military equipment in Bangladesh. He did not want tanks. They did not fit in with his ideas about the army. The Foreign Office and his ministers, however, persuaded Sheikh Mujib that he could on no account refuse President Sadat's gift.

The 30 T-54s and 400 rounds of tank ammunition arrived in Bangladesh in July 1974, making a very welcome addition to the army's strength which was then built around all of three vintage ex-Pakistan army tanks left over from the 1971 war. When they were ceremonially handed over to the 1st Bengal Lancers, Bangladesh's only 'armoured' regiment, one of the officers taking delivery of the tanks was Major Farook Rahman. Though officially second in command of the regiment, he was the most experienced armoured corps officer and the tanks came effectively under his control.

Thus man and weapons were brought together - all because of a gift of tea.

One year later Farook led the tanks to Sheikh Mujib's house and changed the course of Bangladesh.

Anthony Mascarenhas,