In
Retrospect
Working
in Tangail
A
Sub-divisional Officer's Account
M.
Azizul Jalil
We returned
from Oxford after completion of the two-year C.S.P. training
period in July 1960. In August 1960, I went to Tangail as
an SDO. (Sub-divisional Officer). It was a large Sub-Division
in Mymensingh District with a population of about 1.2 million.
The Dhaka-Tangail road was being resurfaced with concrete
at that time and it was with some difficulty that my wife
and I reached Tangail from Dhaka by road. We stayed in the
Dak Bungalow for a couple of days, as my predecessor was yet
to vacate the official residence. Tangail had no electricity
or running water. We had official pankha pullers
who would pull the large bamboo fans wrapped in cloth for
our comfort. After a few days, we moved to a large bungalow
with a confidential office attached to it. It was the custom
during the British days that the Treasury, the SDO's bunglalow
and the SDO's court would be located next to each other. I
was also the ex-officer chairman of the Municipality and the
office was almost opposite the residence.
Tangail
was a large Sub-division in a low-lying area. I had an old,
official army Jeep for touring and often used boats for internal
travels. During my time, we had a major flood when I had to
go by boat from my verandah to the court. I had to go quite
often to Mymensingh town via the beautiful Madhupur Forest
to attend various meetings, particularly the meetings of the
District Council of which the SDO was a member. We had to
cross by ferry at Kalihati and the other at Pungli on our
way. As per tradition we held a large mela (fair)
in the winter during which I had electricity in my house from
a generator in the form of two electric bulbs hanging on wires,
one in the office, and another in the bed room. I started
a municipal children's park, bus stand, and a small kindergarten
school.
In matter
of law and order, the SDO's were required to be quite strict.
Tangail had a reputation for criminal activities, particularly
murders. One day as I was working until late evening in the
confidential office in the Bungalow, Sudhansu Shekhar (Congress
M.L.A. ) came to see me. He was a fine social worker and came
to consult me for a meeting in Dhaka related to a few institutions
with which he was associated. He left me after about 15 minutes
and went probably about 200 yards and had just gone past the
bus stand near where he was shot by a sawed gun from behind
with heavy bore cartridge. I think I heard the shot (it was
a winter evening and dark about 7.30 pm). I called the Sub-divisional
Police Officer who immediately sealed the town and put armed
police on patrol on the streets. Shudanshu Shekhar was brought
to the hospital where the doctor in charge needed help with
the major surgery to take out the bullet and repair the damaged
abdominal area. With the help of the Deputy Commissioner,
Mymensingh I was able to bring a senior surgeon within two
hours (at around mid-night). I went to make the arrangements
in the hospital, its security and also to have the dying declaration
of the victim recorded in my presence by my second officer
who was a first-class magistrate.
Sudhansu
Shekhar named a person who was a clerk in the District Court
who had come to Tangail that afternoon. He had land disputes
in the village with Sudhanshu and had the motive and the opportunity.
Sudhansu Shekhar died in the morning as the surgeon had predicted.
The cries of his wife and relations haunted me long after
his tragic death.
Tangail
had famous muslim zamindar families of Karatia, Tangail and
Dilduar. Wajed Ali Khan Panni of Karatia was a generous person
who patronised the education of Muslims. He established a
high school and the Karatia College and made arrangements
for board and lodging for poor students. As S.D.O., I was
the President of the college and the school and took a lot
of interest in their maintenance and development.
I visited
all the eight far-flung Thana Headquarters of Tangail, including
Bhuapur and Nagarbari, where I visited the home of the Maharaja
of Santosh. What impressed me at both the places was the small
Thana hospitals maintained by the old District Boards. They
were under licensed doctors (L.M.F.) who were not medical
graduates. These doctors provided medical and even surgical
services under most adverse conditions. It appeared that the
hospital and clinics were in better condition before partition
and in the latter period started to deteriorate rapidly due
to neglect by the District Boards and Councils and lack of
local patronage. Principal Ibrahim Khan, a member of the Pakistan
National Assembly took great interest in the sub-division's
developments and in the Bhuapur College that he helped to
establish. These were self-less workers and in spite of their
seniority and high position, always kept in touch with their
localities and cooperated with the S.D.O's. I still have with
me a handwritten letter I received from him after the Tangail
floods in 1960.
No account
of Tangail would be complete without mentioning Rai Bahadur
Ranada Prasad Shaha who hailed from Mirzapur, a few miles
from Tangail town. He had been a government supplier during
the Second World War and did very well with his jute bailing
presses in Narayanganj after partition. He established and
set up the Kumudini Hospital and the Bharateswari Girls Home,
and both were free of charge for poor people. As SDO, I visited
these institutions and Ranada Shaha several times. I was very
impressed by the high standard of service, equipment and buildings,
cleanliness, the qualified staff, and their dedication. Unfortunately,
the life of such a generous person was not spared by the Pakistan
Army during 1971 yet his unique contribution to the nation,
lives on.
In 1961,
I was transferred as S.D.O. Chandpur, which was an attractive
assignment for many reasons.
(The
author is a former civil servant and a retired member of the
World Bank Staff.)
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