The 55th martyrdom anniversary of Bir Shrestha Munshi Abdur Rouf was observed on Monday in his birthplace of Madhukhali, Faridpur.
However, the day was marked by a lack of official coordination with the local administration failing to hold scheduled morning events.
Born on May 8, 1943 in Salamatpur village, Munshi Abdur Rouf joined the East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) in 1963. He embraced martyrdom on April 20, 1971, while fighting Pakistani invaders at the Mahalchhari waterway in Rangamati. For his supreme sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the nation's highest military honor.
While the day traditionally begins at 7:00 AM with the official hoisting of the national flag, no government officials appeared this year. Saidur Rahman assistant librarian at the Bir Shrestha Munshi Abdur Rouf Memorial Museum reported that staff eventually hoisted the flag themselves at 9:00 AM after hours of waiting.
A prayer meeting (Milad Mahfil) was eventually organized at 5:30 PM. Kamarkhali UP Chairman Chowdhury Rakib Hossain Iran admitted to the oversight, stating he had forgotten the date and only arranged the late-afternoon prayer after being reminded by a local resident. Madhukhali UNO Rawshana Jahan attended the evening session as the chief guest.
The hero’s elder sister Zohra Begum traveled from Dhaka to attend the ceremony.
