Agartala, Apl 25(PTI): Himangshu Mohan Chowdhury, who was awarded prestigious the Padma Shri for his services during the Bangladesh Liberation war as a civil service officer, passed away due to agedrelated ailments at a private hospital here on Tuesday.
He is credited with overseeing the housing and feeding of lakhs of refugees from the neighburing country who fled to the tiny northeastern state in the aftermath of the brutal crackdown by the Pakistan army from March 1971.
He was 83 and is survived by two daughters, relatives and large numbers of well wishers. His wife died four years ago.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who visited Chowdhury on April 20, condoled the passing away of the first Padma Shri awardee from the northeast.
Born in a doctor's family in Feni district (now in Bangladesh), Chowdhury's family had migrated to Tripura in 1930. He completed his college days in MBB College in Agartala and then went to Kolkata for higher studies.
After returning from Kolkata, he joined government service as an official.
When the Liberation war broke out in Bangladesh, he was the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Sonamura subdivision of Tripura's Sepahijala district.
“Since Sonamura is a bordering subdivision, lakhs of Bangladeshi took shelter there to save their lives from the Pakistan Army and it was Chowdhury who had single handedly oversaw provision of shelter, food and logistics to 2.5 lakh Bangladeshi people”, Sneshangshu Mohan Chowdhury, his younger brother told PTI.
Sneshangshu said his elder brother worked tirelessly through the months leading up to liberation of Bangladesh and eventual reptriation of refugees, leaving no stone unturned to the needs of the crisis-affected migrants.
“During the war, Bangladesh's prime minister in exile Tajuddin Ahmad's family took shelter in Chowdhury's official residence at Sonamura. Ahmed's daughter Semin Hussain Rimi who is now an MP in Bangladesh, visited Chowdhury in December 2021 to thank him for providing safe shelter to her family during the bloody liberation war”, he recalled.
In the year 1971, the Central government awarded him the prestigious Padma Shri award and he (Himangshu) received it at a very young age for his remarkable services to the hapless refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, he said adding the Bangladesh government also recognised his contribution in the liberation war by awarding him 'Friend of Bangladesh' medal in 2013.