Senior Correspondent.TOD.Balurghat
The sacrifice of Churka Murmu, a young man from the Balurghat region who was killed while trying to prevent Indian arms from falling into enemy hands during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, was commemorated on Tuesday with a large memorial programme in Chakram Prasad village.
The event, organised by the Churka Murmu Seva Trust and the Memorial Protection Committee at Chakram Prasad in Bhatpara gram panchayat, was held on the anniversary of his death. Organisers said this year’s observance was larger than in previous years.
Balurghat MP and Union minister Dr.Sukanta Majumdar, West Bengal Minister for Tribal Development and Backward Classes Welfare Khudiram Tudu, BJP district president Swarup Chowdhury and other dignitaries attended the programme. Representatives of several organisations paid tribute at the memorial dedicated to Churka Murmu.The Churka Murmu Seva Trust also distributed clothing among people in need as part of the commemorative programme.Addressing the gathering, Mr.Khudiram Tudu said steps would be taken to bring the story of Churka Murmu’s sacrifice to younger generations by exploring its inclusion in school textbooks.
According to local accounts, on Aug. 18, 1971, Pakistani forces attacked Chakram Prasad village near Balurghat during the Bangladesh Liberation War, when the region was part of the wider conflict in what was then East Pakistan.Churka Murmu, a local youth, rushed to a nearby BSF camp to alert personnel about the attack. He then joined several BSF soldiers in attempting to resist the advancing Pakistani forces.The resistance was heavily outnumbered, and the BSF personnel were eventually forced to surrender. Even as the situation deteriorated, Churka Murmu attempted to prevent Indian weapons and ammunition from being captured.
Carrying boxes of weapons away from the site, he tried to dispose of them in a pond. He was captured by the Pakistani forces while doing so and was shot dead.For residents of the area, Churka Murmu’s actions have since come to represent courage, sacrifice and patriotism.At Tuesday’s programme, his relatives and community representatives recalled the events of 1971 and urged that his contribution be preserved as part of the region’s historical memory.
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