Lt Col (retd) Abu Osman Chowdhury, commander of Sector 8 during the 1971 Liberation War, breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on Saturday morning. He was 85.
He was laid to rest after Asr prayers with full state honour at Banani Military Graveyard in the capital.
Earlier, the Liberation War hero’s namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) was held at central mosque beside Senakunjo at Dhaka Cantonment, reports BSS.
Osman was suffering from various physical complications for a long time. He was admitted to CMH on August 30 noon due to his deteriorating condition and later found positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19) after testing.
Three days after he tested negative for the virus, said his personal assistant Abul Bashar.
In 1971, Abu Osman Chowdhury was posted in Chuadanga, under district Kushtia as a Major of the Pakistan army and the Commander of 4th Wing East Pakistan Rifles (EPR).
After the Liberation War, Osman was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave him the duty of supervising the Army Service Corps (ASC).
In 1996, during Awami League's rule Osman observed his duty as the deputy commissioner of Chandpur district.
Osman's wife Nazia Khanam during the War of Liberation helped families of the freedom fighters with food, drinking water, and essential medicines and demonstrated exemplary bravery by storing weapons for the freedom fighters.
In 1975, the year when Bangabandhu along with his family were brutally killed by soldiers, Osman's house also came under attack and Nazia was killed. But Osman survived as he was not present during the attack on November 7.
In 2014, Bangladesh Government honoured Abu Osman with the Swadhinata Padak for his contribution to the war.
Immediately after the death of Liberation War hero Osman, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as political leaders of Bangladesh expressed profound shock and sorrow, reports BSS.
Besides, in separate condolence messages, Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Deputy Speaker Advocate Md Fazle Rabbi Miah, Deputy Leader of the Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, Social Welfare Minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed, State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder, State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian, State minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain, State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, State Minister for Social Welfare Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali, State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque, Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem and Awami League Advisory Council Member and 14-party alliance spokesperson Amir Hossain Amu mourned the death of Osman.
