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 Liberation 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).

  1. Roundel of Bangladesh – Army Aviation Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir  
  2. Roundel of Bangladesh – Army Aviation Sepoy Hamidur Rahman  
  3. Roundel of Bangladesh – Army Aviation Sepoy Mostafa Kamal 
  4. Engineroom Artificer Ruhul Amin  
  5. Air Force Ensign of Bangladesh Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman  
  6. Bangladesh Border Guard Lance Naik Munshi Abdur Rouf  
  7. Bangladesh Border Guard Lance Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh 

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 Anwar Hossain Pahari
21 Aftab Ali (Sector-11)3rd East Bengal subeder
22 Motiur Rahman Lieutenant Colonel

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.

This award was officially declared on 15 December 1973 through Bangladesh Gazette. A total of 426 people have received the award so far, 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 Medallion

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:
  1. Bhutan King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck[4]
  2. Cuba President Fidel Castro[5]
  3. India President Pranab Mukherjee[6]
  4. India Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral.[7]
  5. India Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee[8]
  6. Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav
  7. Nepal Prime Minister/ Acting Head of state Girija Prasad Koirala[9]
  8. Nepal Prime Minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala[10]
  9. Soviet Union General Secretary Leonid IIyich Brezhnev
  10. Soviet Union President Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny
  11. Soviet Union Prime Minister Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin
  12. United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Edward Richard George Heath
  13. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 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, 9 Russians, 18 Nepalese, 16 French and 18 Japanese. Three ceremonies were held between March 2012[11] and October 2012.[12]

India

Recipients of the Param Vir Chakra:[13][14]

S. No. Rank Name
01 Lance Naik Albert Ekka
02 Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (Posthumously)
03 Major Hoshiar Singh
04 Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (Posthumously)

Recipients

S. no. Rank Name Operation/War Date of Award
01 L/Nt Ram Ugram Pandey 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 24 November 1971
02 Sep Ansuya Prasad 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 30 November 1971
03 Rfn Pati Ram Gurung 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
04 Maj Gen Shamsher Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 1 December 1971
05 Vice Adm Swaraj Parkash 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
06 Maj Anup Singh Gahlaut 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 3 December 1971
07 Brig Basdev Singh Mankotia 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
08 Maj Gen Anant Vishwanath Natu 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
09 Maj Gen Kashmiri Lal Rattan 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
10 Maj Gen Prem Kumar Khanna 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
11 Lt Col Jaivir Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
12 AVM Vidya Bhushan Vasisht 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
13 Gp Capt Allan Albert D’Costa 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 4 December 1971
14 Sub Maj (Hony Capt) Bir Bahadur Pun 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
15 Cmde Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
16 Gen Arun Shridhar Vaidya 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 5 December 1971
17 Cmde Babru Bhan Yadav 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
18 Capt Devinder Singh Ahlawat 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
19 Lt Gen Krishnaswamy Gowri Shankar 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
20 Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
21 Brig Narinder Singh Sandhu 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
22 Wg Cdr Padmanabha Gautam 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
23 Air Mrshl Ravinder Nath Bhardwaj 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
24 Lt Col Sawai Bhawani Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
25 Lt Gen Joginder Singh Gharaya 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 6 December 1971
26 Brig Kailash Prasad Pande 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
27 Brig Mohindar Lal Whig 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
28 Sep Pandurang Salunkhe 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
29 AVM Chandan Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 7 December 1971
30 Maj Gen Chittoor Venugopal 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
31 Lt Gen Joginder Singh Bakshi 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
32 Sub Maj Mohinder Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
33 Maj Chewang Rinchen 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 8 December 1971
34 P/O Chiman Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
35 Cdr Joseph Pius Alfred Noronha 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
36 Brig Udai Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
37 Capt Mahendra Nath Mulla 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 9 December 1971
38 Nt Sugan Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
39 Brig Rattan Nath Sharma 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 10 December 1971
40 Maj Gen Harish Chandra Pathak 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 11 December 1971
41 Maj Gen Kulwant Singh Pannu 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
42 Brig Sukhjit Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
43 Maj Vijay Rattan Choudhry 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
44 L/Nt Drig Pal Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 13 December 1971
45 Capt Pradip Kumar Gour 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 14 December 1971
46 Brig Amarjit Singh Bal 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 15 December 1971
47 Sub Maj (Hony Capt) Thomas Philipose 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
48 Lt Col Ved Prakash Ghai 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
49 Lt Gen Hanut Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 16 December 1971
50 Lt Gen Raj Mohan Vohra 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
51 Capt Shankar Rao Shankhapan Walkar 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
52 AVM Cecil Vivian Parker 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily 17 December 1971
53 Air Cmde Harcharan Singh Manget 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
54 AVM Madhavendra Banerji 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
55 Maj Malkiat Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
56 Gp Capt Man Mohan Bir Singh Talwar 1971 Operation Cactus-Lily
57 Air Cmde Ramesh Sakharam Benegal 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly
58 2nd Lt. Shamsher Singh Samra 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly
59 L/Nt Shangara Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly
60 L/Hav Dil Bahadur Chettri 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 21 December 1971
61 Rear Adm Santosh Kumar Gupta 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly
62 Brig Vijay Kumar Berry 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 28 December 1971
63 Air Chief Marshal Swaroop Krishna Kaul 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 30 December 1971
64 Sub Nar Bahadur Chhetri 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 31 December 1971
65 Col Dharam Vir Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 1 January 1972
66 Brig Sant Singh 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 2 January 1972
67 Maj Daljit Singh Narang 1971 Operation Cactus-Lilly 20 January 1972

Recipients[15]

S. no. Rank Name Branch Award Date Awarded for
01 Adm Laxminarayan Ramdass Indian Navy 1 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
02 Subedar Gurdev Singh Hans Indian Army 4 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
03 Maj Nanjappa K P Indian Army 5 December 1971 Battle of Daudkandi
04 Lt Col Raj Singh Indian Army 15 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily[16]
05 Major PK Sharma Indian Army 6 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
06 Captain Jatinder Kumar Indian Army Operation Cactus Lily
07 Col Gopal Krishna Trivedi Indian Army 11 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
08 Lt Col Satish Nambiar Indian Army Operation Cactus Lily
09 Air Cmde Jasjit Singh Indian Air Force 17 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
10 Grenadier Rafiq Khan Indian Army 19 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
11 Vice Adm Arun Prakash Indian Navy 21 December 1971 Operation Cactus Lily
12 Squadron Leader M A Ganapathy Indian Air force 1972 Boyra Encounter (1971)

|- | 13 | 2/LT | David A Devadasan | Indian Army - 1 MAHAR | Battle of Harar Kalan | 10/11 December 1971

Pakistan

Recipients of the Nishan-E-Haider:[17][18]

  1. Major Muhammad Akram (posthumously)
  2. Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (posthumously)
  3. Major Shabbir Sharif (posthumously)
  4. Sarwar Muhammad Hussain (posthumously)
  5. Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (posthumously)

See also

References

  1. The Bir Sreshtho বীরশ্রেষ্ঠ [The Most Valiant Hero], birsreshtho.com, retrieved 22 December 2015
  2. Independence Day Award, Cabinet Division, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Haroon Habib (25 July 2011). "Bangladesh honours Indira Gandhi with highest award". The Hindu.
  4. Third druk gyalpo honored by Bangladesh thebhutanese.bt.
  5. "Bangladesh will remember Castro with reverence: PM". The Daily Star. Dhaka. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. Pranab Mukherjee receives Bangladesh's second highest award. NDTV.com (5 March 2013). Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  7. Grateful to you all: PM tells 61 friends of Liberation War from abroad The Daily Star.
  8. 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
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Friends of freedom honoured, Wednesday, 28 March 2012, The Daily Star
  11. "Nation honours foreign friends", The Financial Express, 21 October 2012, archived from the original on 21 January 2016, retrieved 16 December 2015
  12. "Martyrs". National Defense Academy, Pune. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011.
  13. "Param Vir Chakra". Government of India.
  14. "Vir Chakra Awardee List". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  15. Vir Chakra (VrC) Awardee: Lt Col Raj Singh, VrC, SM, The War Decorated, India
  16. "Nishan-e-Haider holders of Pakistan Army".
  17. "Nishan-e-Haider". Shaheed Foundation Pakistan. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014.

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