Aatkabar (Eight Graves)
On August 3, 1971, a group of freedom fighters led by the brave guerrilla group commander Hafizur Rahman were staying at the shelter camp of Jagannathpur village, a border village of Damurhuda upazila. On August 4, the freedom fighters captured Kubad Khan, a broker of the Muslim League from the neighboring Bagowan village. The freedom fighters were planning to attack the Pakistani invaders. On the morning of August 5, two of the Pakistani broker Kubad Khan’s men went to the freedom fighter camp and informed them that the Razakars were cutting their paddy. Hearing this news, a group of freedom fighters led by freedom fighter Hasan Zaman, armed with weapons, advanced in two groups to the field of Bagowan village, approximately 2 kilometers away, to punish the Razakars. As soon as the freedom fighters’ reconnaissance team returned, the Pakistani soldiers from the Natudah camp launched a ‘U’ cutting ambush in the sugarcane field in the field as planned. Before the freedom fighters could realize anything, they fell into their ambush. Here, the freedom fighters fought with the Pakistani invaders for about two and a half hours. The Pakistani invaders used modern firearms on the freedom fighters. Seeing the situation as hopeless, the freedom fighters strategically divided into two groups and started attacking the enemy. In this situation, any one of them had to save his team by providing covering fire. The brave freedom fighter Hasan Zaman was martyred by taking responsibility for normal fire. While retreating, they were able to save their other comrades, but 8 brave freedom fighters were martyred. The Pakistani invaders surrounded them and shot them at close range. Many members of the Pakistani invaders were killed and injured in this frontal battle. Later, the people of Jagannathpur village buried the bodies of eight martyred freedom fighters, four in each, in two graves on the side of the road. Over time, this place was named ‘Aatkabar’ around the graves of these eight freedom fighters.







