Birangona Sakhina Begum, who had killed five Razakars with a machete, died in Nikli upazila of Kishoreganj district on Tuesday. She was 92.
Sakhina, breathed her last around 5am due to old age complications at Hilchiar Boromaipara in Bajitpur upazila of the district, said her niece Fairunnesa Akter.
According to family sources, she will be buried after Asr prayers following a namaz-e-janaza at Gurui field in Nikli upazila.
Sakhina, daughter of Sonafar Mia and Dukhi Bibi of Guruoi village in Nikli upazila, was one of the most courageous female freedom fighters during the Liberation War.
According to local freedom fighter commanders, she killed five Razakars with a machete during the conflict.
She received combat training under the local resistance group Basu Bahini and participated in several direct battles against Pakistani forces.
Sakhina’s nephew, Matiur Rahman, was killed during an operation to liberate Nikli upazila from the occupation of Pakistani forces and their collaborators on October 19, 1971.
Later that month, freedom fighters launched a major assault, resulting in the deaths of numerous Pakistani soldiers and Razakars.
During that attack, Sakhina Begum reportedly killed five Razakars on her own, as recounted by local freedom fighter commanders.
The machete she used in combat is now preserved at the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka, with her name—Birangona Sakhina Begum—inscribed on the display plaque.
In recognition of her extraordinary bravery on the battlefield, the then-government awarded her a grant of Tk50,000 in 1998.
Sakhina Begum spent her final days at her maternal aunt’s house in Barmaipara, where she eventually passed away.
