Bengali Liberation Struggle: 5 March 1971 Unfolds

Call for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Speech on Airwaves
By Kazi Salma Sultana

5 March 1971 marked another tumultuous day in the struggle for Bangladesh’s independence. Amid widespread strikes, demonstrations, and civil disobedience across East Pakistan, the people’s agitation reached new heights. Each day intensified the movement, especially following Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s call for non-cooperation and his declaration of autonomy, which stirred unease within the Rawalpindi-based ruling establishment.

Streets resonated with patriotic slogans such as “Bir Bangali, raise your arms, liberate Bangladesh” and “Your and my address, Padma-Meghna-Jamuna”, as freedom-loving Bengalis voiced their demands with unwavering resolve.

Tragically, the non-cooperation and strikes led to violent crackdowns. In Chittagong, armed forces fired upon protesters, killing 222 people, while four workers were martyred and 25 injured in the Tongi industrial area. News of these atrocities sparked intense public outrage in Dhaka.

On the same day, 325 prisoners broke out of Dhaka Central Jail and marched to the Shaheed Minar to join the independence movement. Seven prisoners lost their lives when guards fired during the jailbreak. By evening, authorities officially announced the withdrawal of military forces to their barracks in Dhaka.

Political leaders across the country condemned the suspension of the National Assembly session. The Balochistan National Awami Party (NAP) described it as undemocratic, while retired Air Vice Marshal Asghar Khan stressed the necessity of transferring power to the majority party to preserve national unity. Maulana Golam Gaus Hazari asserted that Bhutto had no mandate to speak for East Pakistan’s elected members, echoed by Manik Golam Zilani who demanded immediate power transfer. The ruling authorities, however, dismissed these voices.

Banks remained open under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s instructions, and special prayers were held in mosques nationwide to honour the martyrs. Protest rallies and commemorations took place across Dhaka, while Lahore hosted a Ghaybana Janaza (absentee funeral) for those martyred in East Pakistan, highlighting nationwide solidarity during the crisis.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto met President Yahya Khan for over five hours in Rawalpindi. Plans by the occupying forces anticipated halting the movement only if 20,000 Bengalis were killed. Retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan travelled from Karachi to Dhaka and met Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his Dhanmondi residence that evening.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman denounced foreign broadcast reports claiming he was willing to share power with Bhutto as “malicious” and “utterly fabricated.” Responding to his call, poets, writers, teachers, and student groups staged rallies, including a march from Baitul Mukarram led by the Dhaka University Students’ Union. Toffael Ahmed requested Dhaka Radio to relay Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s speech live from Racecourse Ground.

Awami League General Secretary Tajuddin Ahmed condemned indiscriminate military killings of unarmed civilians in Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, and Sylhet, calling such atrocities crimes against humanity. Following Bhutto’s meeting with President Yahya, party spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Pirzada criticised the suspension of the National Assembly as illegitimate and unjustifiable.

Key Events of 5 March 1971

This day stands as a pivotal chapter in the Bengali liberation movement, demonstrating both the courage of ordinary citizens and the escalating tension between East Pakistan and the central authorities. The events of 5 March 1971 galvanized the nation, setting the stage for the historic declaration of independence just two days later.