Sharmin Ahmad: We are going back to March 30, 1971. That day your father came to the border and met Tajuddin Ahmad and Barrister Amir-ul Islam. They did not know each other. Tajuddin said, “If India grants us shelter as representatives of a government of an independent state, then we will cross the border.”
Golok Majumdar then gave them a guard of honour and invited them into India as representatives of an independent state. I met Golok Majumdar.
He said, “I saw how hungry they looked, with unshaven beards, dressed like farmers! Are these really the top representatives of the Bangladesh government?” From the border outpost at Jibannagar, were 'abbu' and the others taken straight to Kolkata?
Basanti Mukherjee: The Director General of the BSF, K F Rustamji, was arriving that day by plane at Dum Dum Airport. So my father took them there from the border. I didn’t know what was happening, because it was top secret.
At the beginning of 1971, we saw that the sidewalks outside the medical college suddenly became crowded with people. They were cooking and eating there, using the same place as a bathroom. There were no bathing facilities. We had to step over them to walk. We kept wondering, who are these people? Where did they come from? How are they living like this?
When all the sidewalks of Kolkata became so overcrowded, the sanitation situation became extremely poor. They were at serious risk of cholera. India was not a wealthy country at the time. I was a student at the medical college. Then my father arrived in Kolkata. My mother called me and said, “Your father is going to Kolkata, please look after things.”
Sharmin Ahmad: Golok Majumdar was on duty then, somewhere around Kushtia, I believe some distance beyond the Jibannagar border.
Basanti Mukherjee: My father came to Kolkata. After arriving, he suddenly bought a few houses on Lord Sinha Road. That became his office. Upstairs, there was just one bed for me, one bed for my father, and a table, nothing else. My mother and elder sister were in Delhi at the time. Then he bought another house, the Nawab’s house on Gurusaday Road, belonging to the Nawab of Comilla. He bought several houses.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: Were those houses purchased on behalf of BSF?
Basanti Mukherjee: Yes. I asked, “You’re buying all these houses? They’re incredibly expensive, where is the money coming from?” My father said, “These belong to the government, not bought with our personal money.” He told me, “If you’re going to stay, then stay here.” I would return from college every day, and my father would go out somewhere every night.
One day I packed him a sandwich - cucumber sandwiches and some cashew nuts. I said, “Wherever you go, when it’s time to eat at night, please have this.” That day he returned around four or four-thirty in the morning. I asked, “Did you eat?” He said, “No, someone else did. He hadn’t eaten for seven days. He has diabetes. There was nothing else to give him.”
When I returned from college one afternoon, I saw many people in front of the house. I asked, “Who are they? They’re moving around like suspicious people.” My father had taken an oath of secrecy. In a whisper, he said, “They are the ones who formed the cabinet today.”
Anyway, Tajuddin Ahmad and Amir-ul Islam were taken to Dum Dum Airport. Rustamji arrived, along with several other officers.
My father kept them in a slightly dark area of the airport. He told Rustamji, “I need to speak with you privately.” Rustamji left the other officers and came to speak with him.
My father then explained the situation. Rustamji asked, “How did you know they were genuine?” My father said, “I asked them several questions. If they weren’t the real people, they wouldn’t have been able to answer. I have verified, they are the right people.”
Then he said, “They haven’t eaten anything.” They were taken to Assam House, which was something like a BSF guesthouse. They were covered in mud, unshaven. Rustamji asked for arrangements to be made for them to bathe. But what would they wear after bathing? They had arrived with only the clothes on them.
It was very late at night, around 2 a.m. All the shops were closed. Rustamji opened his suitcase and gave a silk pajama–panjabi set to Tajuddin Ahmad, and another to Amir-ul Islam. He asked my father to arrange food.
But all the shops were shut. My father managed to gather a few eggs. He only knew how to cook two things, he could fry samosas if my mother prepared them, and he loved making omelets. So that night, he made omelets. There were some fruits and a loaf of bread, and he fed them with those. They hadn’t eaten for a long time.
On the way, perhaps at Krishnanagar or somewhere similar, they had woken up a sweet shop owner and eaten some sweets. But your father couldn’t eat sweets, so he had eaten that sandwich instead.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: He had diabetes—mild diabetes.
Basanti Mukherjee: Rustamji said, “Let them sleep.” After that, he informed Indira Gandhi about the situation. Indira Gandhi said, “Bring them to me immediately.” But how could they be taken? A special plane was arranged. They were brought on 30 March, and flown out on 1 April. In the intervening days, they stayed at Lord Sinha Road. They did not stay on our upper floor; arrangements were made for them on the second floor, where a few rooms were allocated to them.
My father was deeply worried about what had happened to their families. Without news of one’s family, no one can feel at ease. My father told Tajuddin Ahmad, “If you can tell me about your family, perhaps we can try to bring them here quickly.”
Tajuddin Ahmad replied, “The fate of millions of people in Bangladesh, my family must face the same fate. There’s nothing special to be done for them. Please don’t ask me this again.” My father said it was an astonishing statement. But he couldn’t ignore it. He tried to find out where your families were, and the family of Barrister Amir-ul Islam.
We had received reports of severe atrocities in Bangladesh. If they were identified, they would be hunted down and subjected to further persecution. So the BSF was actively engaged. I know they were tasked with locating elected representatives and their families and bringing them to safety. Despite Tajuddin Ahmad’s objections, they tried very hard.
Anyway, on 1 April they were put on a special plane. They were extremely exhausted. Bedding was laid out on the floor of the plane so the two of them could sleep. They went to Delhi. My father did not know where the meeting with Indira Gandhi took place, because in such a highly sensitive operation everything was compartmentalised. No one except the Prime Minister could know the whole picture, otherwise there was a risk in case of attack or infiltration. So their meeting and discussions took place there.
Later, my father told us that they wanted to be received as leaders of a sovereign country. But my father had no such instructions. His orders were to guard the border and do what was best for India. He did not have the authority to formally recognise them. But he realised that if he did not do so, they would not proceed. So he took the risk and said, “Yes, Indira Gandhi has agreed.” However, there was always the fear that if Indira Gandhi ultimately refused, it would cost him his life.
Sharmin Ahmad: He took a huge risk.
Basanti Mukherjee: So he said that Indira Gandhi had agreed. Then your father and Barrister Amir-ul Islam came. I remember that.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: Did your father receive a message in Kolkata that someone was waiting at the border?
Basanti Mukherjee: No. My father used to go to the border every day.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: Toward Krishnanagar?
Basanti Mukherjee: He never told me exactly where he went. But it was probably toward Krishnanagar—because that’s where they were given sweets.
Sharmin Ahmad: That must be it. Because in my interview, he was saying that it was in the border area of Jibannagar in Kushtia, perhaps it was Krishnanagar. Then they brought them from the Jibannagar border in Kushtia straight to Dum Dum. When they reached Dum Dum, I think Rustamji had also arrived there by then.
Basanti Mukherjee: That’s why he went, to introduce them and explain what was happening. After that, they went to Delhi. When they returned from Delhi, they stayed at Lord Sinha Road.
Among the other leaders who came to India, two or three would sometimes go to meet the Americans. Tajuddin Ahmad and Amir-ul Islam never did. They were not involved in any kind of conspiracy with anyone.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: I remember everything. A big courtyard. They stayed upstairs until they were moved to another house.
Basanti Mukherjee: It took about a month. In May, they moved into that house (8 Theatre Road). No one had lived there for a long time, so it needed some renovation to make it habitable. Many people would be staying there, so arrangements had to be made to check whether the kitchen was usable, whether the bathrooms were functioning, and so on. It took about a month to get the house ready.
Sharmin Ahmad: When they came to Lord Sinha Road, did you provide the food, or did it come from the office?
Basanti Mukherjee: It didn’t come from anywhere else, arrangements were made right there. My father had assigned people. Every day, about 200 rupees’ worth of groceries was bought. Many people stayed there, eight to ten would eat. BSF personnel did the cooking. There was a kitchen there. My father personally oversaw the meals every day.
However, Tajuddin Ahmad often wanted to go back to the border. He had a strong sense of self-respect. If my father suggested something he didn’t like, he would immediately say, “I won’t stay here.” My father would ask, “Where will you go?” He would reply, “Take me to the refugee camp you’ve set up, I’ll stay there.” He was a very gentle, calm, and composed person, but with a deep sense of dignity.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: Yes. In my book Tajuddin Ahmad: Leader and Father, Golok Majumdar said that after independence, they went to the airport to see Tajuddin Ahmad off. Rustamji said, “Bangladesh is now independent, our friendship will be eternal.” Tajuddin, in a slightly firm tone, replied, “Yes, but on the basis of equality.” Even though Rustamji had helped him so much in difficult times, he did not compromise when it came to his country.
Basanti Mukherjee: My father repeatedly said that Tajuddin Ahmad made the country independent. Among the other leaders who came to India, two or three would sometimes go to meet the Americans. Tajuddin Ahmad and Amir-ul Islam never did. They were not involved in any kind of conspiracy with anyone.
Prothom Alo :
Sharmin Ahmad: Thank you for your time.
Basanti Mukherjee: Thank you.
* This interview appeared in Bangla in Prothom Alo online and has been rewritten by Ayesha Kabir for Prothom Alo English Online