Palashi
—  city  —
Palashi Location of Palashi in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	23°48′N 88°15′E / 23.80°N 88.25°E / 23.80; 88.25Coordinates: 23°48′N 88°15′E / 23.80°N 88.25°E / 23.80; 88.25
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Nadia
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 17 metres (56 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 741156 • Telephone • +91 3474

Palashi (Bengali: পলাশী Pôlashi, formerly rendered in English: Plassey) is a small hamlet on the Bhagirathi river, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the city of Krishnagar in the Nadia District of West Bengal, India. The nearest major town is Beldanga. It has its own local gram panchayat. It is particularly well known due to the battle fought there in 1757.

Etymology[link]

The name Palashi is derived from the red flower Butea (Bengali: পলাশ Pôlash - Butea frondosa or Butea monosperma; the English version of the name is presumably from a western Indic form like Urdu palāśi, pronounced [pəˈlaːsi]. Common name in English: Flame of the Forest or Bastard Teak), which flowers in the spring. The word officially used is 'Plassey' not 'Plashi'.

History[link]

Pâlāshi achieved historical significance when, on 23 June 1757, the Battle of Plassey was fought between the forces of Siraj Ud Daulah, the last Nawab of Bengal (and his French support troops) and the troops of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive. This event, part of the Seven Years War, ultimately led to the establishment of British rule in Bengal, and eventually, the whole Indian subcontinent. During British rule it became part of Nadia District of Bengal.^[1]

In 1998, the Khaitan Group, which operates a factory in Plassey for making sugar, had tried to change the name to Khaitan Nagar. Voluble protests from the local press led the industrialists to give up the idea.

Geography[link]

Palashi is located at 23°48′N 88°15′E / 23.80°N 88.25°E / 23.80; 88.25^[2]. It has an average elevation of 17 m (56 ft).

References[link]

External links[link]

• Map of West Bengal - Government of West Bengal
• The battle of Palashi - Banglapedia
• The world's first multinational - The New Statesman

v t e Cities, towns and locations in Nadia District Cities and Towns Krishnanagar Sadar subdivision Bablari Dewanganj Badkulla Baruihuda Char Brahmanagar Char Maijdia Jagadanandapur Krishnanagar Kshidirpur Nabadwip Kalyani subdivision Chakdaha Darappur Gayespur Haringhata Kalyani Madanpur Ranaghat subdivision Aistala Birnagar Cooper's Camp Gopalpur Nasra Parbbatipur Phulia Ranaghat Shantipur Satigachha Taherpur Tehatta subdivision Karimpur Tehatta Locations other than cities and towns Dhubulia Ghurni Mayapur Palashi Related topics Nadia topics People from Nadia district Villages in Nadia district Cities, towns and locations in other districts Bankura Bardhaman Birbhum Cooch Behar Dakshin Dinajpur Darjeeling Hooghly Howrah Jalpaiguri Malda Murshidabad North 24 Parganas Paschim Medinipur Purba Medinipur Purulia South 24 Parganas Uttar Dinajpur West Bengal portal

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Ali Ahsan Mujahid is currently the Secretary General of the right-wing political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He was Minister of Social Welfare from 2001 to 2007 in the four-party alliance Bangladesh government. He opposed liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and collaborated with the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He has been accused of not only helping Pakistan Army on the massacre, loot, rape, molestation of Bangladeshi women; but also leading the killing of the Bangladesh intellectuals on the 14th December, 1971. The day is known as Intellectual Killing Day.

Life in 1971[link]

Mujahid was the president of the East Pakistan Islamic fundamentalist student organization Islami Chhatra Shangha and architect of the Razakar paramilitary force. He was chief of the Al Badar forces in 1971. Razakar and Al Badr forces main job was to find pro-independence people and handover them to Pakistani Army or sometimes they kill them by torturing.^{[citation needed]}

As soon as the liberation war was declared he formed a battalion of Razakar forces who were only accountable to him. Mujahid then made Feroz Mia the commander of his newly recruited forces and organized arms training for them. Mujahid was also the key figure for the weapons and funds of the organization.

His anti liberation activities were evident from the statements published in the newspapers. While addressing a gathering of Islami Chhatra Shangha in Faridpur on September 15, 1971, he announced that they should have occupied Assam (an Indian state) before taking complete India. He called upon his armed cadres (Al Badrs) to be prepared for this actions.

Mujahid’s statement on “Daily Sangram” on October 15, 1971

"The youths of the Razakars and al-Badar forces and all other voluntary organizations have been working for the national to protect it from the collaborators and agents of India. But, recently it was observed that a section of political leaders like ZA Bhutto, Kawsar Niazi, Mufti Mahmud and Asgar Khan have been making objectionable remarks about the patriots."

During the days of the war Mujahid mainly resided at some Feroz Mia’s place at 181, Fakirerpul. Feroz Mia was a commander of Razakar forces, according to eyewitness accounts of Jatiyo party leader Abdus Salam, journalist GM Gaus, freedom fighter and columnist Mahbub Kamal. Feroz’s house served as a HQ for the local Razakars and torture chamber of Mukti Bahini, Bangladeshi Freedom Fighters. According to the locals many people were found taken to the house blind folded and groans of torture were heard. Mujahid was the boss of the horde. From September onwards, when Pakistani army started losing Mujahid changed his strategy from killing the ordinary pro-liberation Bangladeshi to killing the secular minded Bangladeshi intellectuals and professionals. He and his party was the information provider of killed Bangladeshi intellectuals on December 14, the day known as Intellectual Killing Day in Bangladesh. Mujahid was one of the key leaders, said Gaus, to raid Dhaka university campus for killing the selected academics.

Life after 1971[link]

Mujahid hideout for few years after liberation of Bangladesh. He actively started political activities again when Ziaur Rahman came to power in a series of Sheikh Mujib’s assassination. In 2001 he became Minister of Social Welfare Bangladesh National Party-led four-party alliance government which is in fact a big slap to Bangladesh Independence.

See also[link]

• Razakars (Bangladesh)

References[link]

• Jibone Ja Dekhlam (What I saw in my life), biography by Golam Azam.
• Bangladesh Liberation Museum.
• Killers and Collaborators of 1971: An Account of Their Whereabouts, compiled and published by the Center for the Development of the Spirit of the Liberation War.
• Commission on War Criminals of Bangladesh.
• Saiduzzaman Raushan: Speeches and Statements of Killers & Collaborators of 1971.

External links[link]

• [1]
• [2]
• [3]
• [4]