Chitta Ranjan Dutta

Chitta Ranjan Dutta BU (1 January 1929 – 26 August 2020), also known as C R Dutta, was a Bangladeshi military officer and war hero who served as a two star officer of the Bangladesh Army. He was a key sector commander of the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War. After independence, Dutta was the inaugural commander of the 72nd Independent Brigade, and in 1972, he was made pioneer director-general of the Bangladesh Rifles (now known as Border Guards Bangladesh).

Dutta was a prominent minority rights advocate in Bangladesh. He was also the president of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.

Early life Dutta was born on 1 January 1929 to Upendra Chandra Dutta and Labanyaprabha Dutta. The ancestral village of Dutta of Mirashi was in erstwhile Sylhet district, presently in Chunarughat Upazila of Habiganj District in Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. His father was a police officer posted in Shillong, the then capital of Assam in British India, and so he was born in Shillong. He started his schooling in Laban Government High School in Shillong, but moved to Habiganj after second grade. In 1944, he appeared for Entrance from Habiganj Government High School. Later he took admission at Asutosh College of the University of Calcutta in science. However, he left Asutosh College and completed his B.Sc. from Daulatpur College in Khulna. Later he was transferred to the 6th Frontier Force Regiment. In January 1971, he had taken a three-month leave and was staying at his Habiganj residence.

After Mujibur Rahman's 7 March speech, Dutta mentally prepared himself for a possible war. However, as the Pakistani occupation army launched Operation Searchlight, Dutta wasn't initially aware of the widespread repression and torture. At that time he attended a meeting of the political leaders at the house of his neighbour Colonel Abdur Rab.

Rights advocacy The liberation war of Bangladesh was fought on the principles of Bengali nationalism. The 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh included the principles of democracy, secularism, socialism, and Bengali nationalism as the four pillars of the nation. After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, successive military regimes gradually removed the founding principles by Islamic principles. On 9 June 1988, Islam was declared the state religion of Bangladesh. Major General (Retd.) Chitta Ranjan Dutta, along with minority leaders from other communities, founded the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.

Since the foundation, Dutta has served as the president of the organization in an uninterrupted manner. As the president, Dutta fought tirelessly for the rights of the minorities. Dutta campaigned for the return of the properties confiscated using the Vested Property Act to their rightful owners. Dutta was also vocal on the removal of Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh and supported the restoration of 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh.