Indian commander who risked court martial to join Bangladesh freedom fighters dies
Celebrated Indian BSF official major Parimal Kumar Gosh, who reportedly was the first military officer to help freedom fighters in 1971, breathed his last on Thursday in New Delhi, India.
He was 84.
Gosh has been suffering from cancer.
His daughter Agomoni Gosh said, "My father Parimal Kumar Ghosh is an unsung hero. His career in the army, BSF and R&AW is one of sheer professional brilliance but one that remained in shadows because of the sensitive nature of his job."
“He died after some sufferings that dented his health but not his spirit as he battled cancer with the same zeal as the enemies of the nation. He had a great soft corner for Bangladesh because he was the first Indian to have fought in the 1971 Liberation War” she added.
On the night of 25 March, 1971, the Pakistani army crackdown and the arrest of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then major PK Ghosh was commanding the F company of the 92nd BSF Battalion in Tripura's Sabroom region, responsible for four border outposts of Amlighat, Samarendragunj, Nalua and Sreenagar, according to Sukharanjan Das Gupta, who covered liberation war from Anandabazar.
“At about 1700 hrs formed the 1st Group of Mukti Bahini with 6 EPR boys under Nooruddin, gave them motivational talk and oath on the spot. Deployed them in groups of 3 each, on either flank of Northern end of Subhapur bridge with clear instructions to deny entry of Pak soldiers to the villages and water point, also to fire only one round at a time to conserve own ammunition and draw fire from Pak troops.”
"I returned to my Srinagar BOP at about 1900 hrs and initiated a special SITREP without mentioning my crossing over the international border.
Calling his death as a “legend passed away”, Suresh Dutta , former IG BSF said, “Ghosh dada was my predecessor in BSF G branch in Agartala, always a hotspot because of proximity to Bangladesh's major nerve centres . He set high professional standards not easy to emulate. A legend has passed away”