Awards and decorations of the Bangladesh Liberation War
Awards and decorations of the Bangladesh Liberation War were decorations which were bestowed by the major warring parties during the years of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan all issued awards and decorations during the conflict.
A listing of the medals bestowed after the Bangladesh War of Independence are as follows:
Bangladesh[]
Gallantry awards[]
A total of 677 participants of the Bangladesh War of Independence received gallantry awards for their service and bravery. Four categories of gallantry awards were created after the war in Bangladesh. These were:
The Bir Sreshtho (Bengali: বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ) (Valiant of Courage), is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and died in action for their nation. They are considered martyrs.[1]
Recipients All the recipients of this award were killed in action during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. The award was published by the Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973. It is the highest military award of Bangladesh, similar to the U.S. Medal of Honor or the UK's Victoria Cross. It has only been given in 1973 to seven people. Listed below are the people who have received the Bir Srestho medal. They are all considered 'Shaheed' (Martyrs).
- Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir † (Army)
- Sepoy Hamidur Rahman † (Army)
- Sepoy Mostafa Kamal † (Army)
- Engineroom Artificer Ruhul Amin † (Navy)
- Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman ��� (Air Force)
- Lance Naik Munshi Abdur Rouf † (Bangladesh Rifles)
- Lance Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh † (Bangladesh Rifles)
Bir Uttom (Bengali: বীর উত্তম ccValiant of Courage)
Recipients
| No. | NAME | SECTOR | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Khaja Nazimuddin bhuiyan, (posthumous) | Sector-04 | Leader Public Force/Gano Bahini |
| 02 | K M Shafiullah | Commander, S Force | Major |
| 03 | Ziaur Rahman | Commander, Z Force | Major |
| 04 | Chittoronjon Datta | Sector Commander-04 | Major |
| 05 | Kazi Nuruzzaman | Sector Commander-07 | Major |
| 06 | Mir Showkat Ali | Sector Commander-05 | Major |
| 07 | Khaled Mosharraf | Commander, K Force | Major |
| 08 | Abdul Manzur | Sector Commander-08 | Major |
| 09 | Abu Taher | Interim Sector Commander-11 | Major |
| 10 | A N M Nuruzzaman | Sector Commander-03 | Captain |
| 11 | Rafiqul Islam | Sector Commander-01 | Captain |
| 12 | Abdus Salek Choudhury | Sector Commander-02 | Captain |
| 13 | Aminul Haque | Commander, 8 East Bengal | Major |
| 14 | Abdur Rob | Army chief, AHQ | Lieutenant Colonel |
| 15 | A K Khandker | Deputy Chief of Staff Army | Group Captain |
| 16 | Shahjahan Omar | – | – |
| 17 | Kader Siddique | – | – |
| 18 | Liakat Ali Khan | – | – |
| 19 | Shahabuddin Ahmed | – | – |
| 20 | – | – | |
| 21 | Aftab Ali | (Sector-11)3rd East Bengal | subeder |
| 22 | Motiur Rahman | – | Lieutenant Colonel |
Bir Bikrom (Bengali: বীর বিক্রম Valiant hero)
A total of 175 fighters have been awarded on 15 December 1973 for their heroic actions at the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The government of Bangladesh declared the name of the awardees in Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973.
Bir Protik (Bengali: বীর প্রতীক Idol of Courage)
This award was officially declared on 15 December 1973 through Bangladesh Gazette. A total of 426 people have received the award so far,[clarification needed] all for their actions during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
Liberation War medals[]
|
Samor Pawdok (War Medal) |
|
Joy Pawdok (Victory Medal) |
|
Rono Taroka (Campaign Star) |
|
Mukti Taroka (Liberation Star) |
Civilian awards[]
Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পদক),[2] also termed Independence Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977, this award is bestowed upon Bangladeshi citizens or organisations in recognition of substantial contribution to one of many fields, including the War of Liberation, the language movement, education, literature, journalism, public service, science and technology, medical science, social science, song, games and sports, fine arts, rural development, and other areas.
Bangladesh Freedom Honour -(Bengali: বাংলাদেশ স্বাধীনতা সম্মাননা Bānglādēśa sbādhīnatā sam'mānanā); posthumously conferred on former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.[3]- Bangladesh Liberation War Honour -(Bengali: বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ সম্মাননা Bānglādēśa muktiyud'dha sam'mānanā); conferred to heads of states and heads of governments:
King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck[4]
President Fidel Castro[5]
President Pranab Mukherjee[6]- Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.[7]
- Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee[8]
President Ram Baran Yadav- Prime Minister/ Acting Head of state Girija Prasad Koirala[9]
- Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala[10]
General Secretary Leonid IIyich Brezhnev- President Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny
- Prime Minister Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin
Prime Minister Sir Edward Richard George Heath
President Marshal Josip Broz Tito[10]
Friends of Liberation War Honour -(Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ মৈত্রী সম্মাননা Muktiyud'dha maitrī sam'mānanā); conferred to individuals, six organisations and Mitra Bahini. The individuals include 257 Indians, 88 Americans, 41 Pakistanis, 39 Britons, nine Russians, 18 Nepalese, 16 French and 18 Japanese.[citation needed] Three ceremonies were held between March 2012[11] and October 2012.[12]
India[]
Param Vir Chakra
Recipients of the Param Vir Chakra:[13][14]
- Lance Naik Albert Ekka (Posthumously)
- Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Posthumously)
- Major Hoshiar Singh
- Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (Posthumously)
Recipients
| Rank | Name | Operation/War | Date of Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| L/Nt | Ram Ugram Pandey | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 24 November 1971 |
| Sep | Ansuya Prasad | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 30 November 1971 |
| Rfn | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 30 November 1971 | |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 1 December 1971 | |
| Vice Adm | Swaraj Parkash | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 1 December 1971 |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Brig | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Lt Col | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| AVM | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 3 December 1971 | |
| Gp Capt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 4 December 1971 | |
| Sub Maj (Hony Capt) | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 4 December 1971 | |
| Cmde | Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 4 December 1971 |
| Gen | Arun Shridhar Vaidya | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Cmde | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 | |
| Capt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 | |
| Lt Gen | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 | |
| Brig | Kuldip Singh Chandpuri | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Brig | Narinder Singh Sandhu | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Wg Cdr | Padmanabha Gautam | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Air Mrshl | Ravinder Nath Bhardwaj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Lt Col | Sawai Bhawani Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 5 December 1971 |
| Lt Gen | Joginder Singh Gharaya | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 6 December 1971 |
| Brig | Kailash Prasad Pande | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 6 December 1971 |
| Brig | Mohindar Lal Whig | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 6 December 1971 |
| Sep | Pandurang Salunkhe | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 6 December 1971 |
| AVM | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 7 December 1971 | |
| Maj Gen | Chittoor Venugopal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 7 December 1971 |
| Lt Gen | Joginder Singh Bakshi | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 7 December 1971 |
| Sub Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 7 December 1971 | |
| Maj | Chewang Rinchen | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 8 December 1971 |
| P/O | Chiman Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 8 December 1971 |
| Cdr | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 8 December 1971 | |
| Brig | Udai Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 8 December 1971 |
| Capt | Mahendra Nath Mulla | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 9 December 1971 |
| Nt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 9 December 1971 | |
| Brig | Rattan Nath Sharma | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 10 December 1971 |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 11 December 1971 | |
| Maj | Gen Kulwant Singh Pannu | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 11 December 1971 |
| Brig | Sukhjit Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 11 December 1971 |
| Maj | Vijay Rattan Choudhry | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 11 December 1971 |
| L/Nt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 13 December 1971 | |
| Capt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 14 December 1971 | |
| Brig | Amarjit Singh Bal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 15 December 1971 |
| Sub Maj (Hony Capt) | Thomas Philipose | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 15 December 1971 |
| Lt Col | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 15 December 1971 | |
| Lt Gen | Hanut Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 16 December 1971 |
| Lt Gen | Raj Mohan Vohra | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 16 December 1971 |
| Capt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 16 December 1971 | |
| AVM | Cecil Vivian Parker | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| Air Cmde | Harcharan Singh Manget | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| AVM | Madhavendra Banerji | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| Maj | Malkiat Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| Gp Capt | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 | |
| Air Cmde | Ramesh Sakharam Benegal | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| 2nd Lt. | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 | |
| L/Nt | Shangara Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 17 December 1971 |
| L/Hav | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 21 December 1971 | |
| Rear Adm | Santosh Kumar Gupta | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 21 December 1971 |
| Brig | Vijay Kumar Berry | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 28 December 1971 |
| Air Chief Marshal | Swaroop Krishna Kaul | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 30 December 1971 |
| Sub | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 31 December 1971 | |
| Col | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 1 January 1972 | |
| Brig | Sant Singh | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 2 January 1972 |
| Maj | 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly | 20 January 1972 |
Recipients[15]
| Rank | Name | Branch | Award Date | Awarded for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adm | Laxminarayan Ramdass | Indian Navy | 1 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Subedar | Gurdev Singh Hans | Indian Army | 4 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Maj | Indian Army | 5 December 1971 | ||
| Lt Col | Raj Singh | Indian Army | 15 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily[16] |
| Major | Indian Army | 6 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily | |
| Captain | Indian Army | 6 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily | |
| Col | Gopal Krishna Trivedi | Indian Army | 11 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Lt Col | Satish Nambiar | Indian Army | 11 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Air Cmde | Jasjit Singh | Indian Air Force | 17 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Grenadier | Rafiq Khan | Indian Army | 19 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Vice Adm | Arun Prakash | Indian Navy | 21 December 1971 | Operation Cactus Lily |
| Squadron Leader | M A Ganapathy | Indian Air force | 1972 | Boyra Encounter (1971) |
Pakistan[]
Nishan-i-Haider
Recipients of the Nishan-E-Haider:[17][18]
- Major Muhammad Akram (posthumously)
- Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (posthumously)
- Major Shabbir Sharif (posthumously)
- Sarwar Muhammad Hussain (posthumously)
- Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (posthumously)
See also[]
- Liberation War of Bangladesh
- Bangladeshi honours system
- Military awards and decorations of Bangladesh
References[]
- ^ The Bir Sreshtho বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ [The Most Valiant Hero], birsreshtho.com, retrieved 22 December 2015
- ^ Independence Day Award, Cabinet Division, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Haroon Habib (25 July 2011). "Bangladesh honours Indira Gandhi with highest award". The Hindu.
- ^ Third druk gyalpo honored by Bangladesh thebhutanese.bt.
- ^ "Bangladesh will remember Castro with reverence: PM". The Daily Star. Dhaka. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ Pranab Mukherjee receives Bangladesh's second highest award. NDTV.com (5 March 2013). Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ [http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=254652 Grateful to you all: PM tells 61 friends of Liberation War from abroad] The Daily Star.
- ^ Former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee honoured for his 1971 role: On his behalf Modi receives Bangladesh Liberation War award from Hamid, 8 June 2015
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Jump up to: a b Friends of freedom honoured, Wednesday, 28 March 2012, The Daily Star
- ^ "B'desh honours foreign friends", The Financial Express, 28 March 2012
- ^ "Nation honours foreign friends", The Financial Express, 21 October 2012, archived from the original on 21 January 2016, retrieved 16 December 2015
- ^ "Martyrs". National Defense Academy, Pune. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011.
- ^ "Param Vir Chakra". Government of India.
- ^ "Vir Chakra Awardee List". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ Vir Chakra (VrC) Awardee: Lt Col Raj Singh, VrC, SM, The War Decorated, India
- ^ "Nishan-e-Haider holders of Pakistan Army".
- ^ "Nishan-e-Haider". Shaheed Foundation Pakistan. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014.
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