Badrul Alam (Bir Uttom)

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For other uses, see Badrul Alam (disambiguation).

Bir Uttom
Squadron leader (rtd)

Badrul Alam
Native name
বদরুল আলম
Born(1948-02-13)13 February 1948
Manikganj, East Bengal, Pakistan (now, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Died27 October 2023(2023-10-27) (aged 75)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Allegiance Pakistan
 Bangladesh
Service/branch Pakistan Air Force
 Bangladesh Air Force
Years of service1969–1975
Rank Squadron leader
UnitNo. 84 Squadron PAF
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War
  • Godanail Airstrike
Awards Bir Uttom
Independence Day Award
Spouse(s)Nadera Alam
Other workBangladesh Biman

Badrul Alam (13 February 1948 – 27 October 2023) was a squadron leader of the Bangladesh Air Force who fought in the Bangladesh War of Independence,[1] for which the government of Bangladesh gave him the Bir Uttam award, the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh.[2] In 2016, he received the Independence Day Award.[3]

Early life[edit]

Although Alam's ancestral home was Char Barai in Singair upazila of Manikganj, he grew up in Dhaka.[1] He was the son of father Khandaker Mohammad Badruddoza and mother Hosne Ara Begum. He was married to Nadera Alam, with whom he had a son and daughter.[4]

Career[edit]

Alam began his career as a flying officer in the Pakistan Air Force. Until mid-February 1971, he was posted at Sargodha Airbase in Pakistan, after which he was posted to Dhaka. When the war of liberation started, he fled from Dhaka to India in the first half of May. At first, he worked as a staff officer at the Mukti Bahini headquarters, later joining the Bangladesh Air Force when it was formed, and was instrumental in recruiting and training pilots and airmen needed for the Air Force.[citation needed] He started direct operation from November 1971.[clarification needed] Besides Godnail, he conducted air operations in several other places including Akhaura, Sylhet, and Raipura in Narsingdi. Most of these air strikes were carried out under his command. Alam served in the Bangladesh Air Force until retiring in 1975, and then began working for Biman Bangladesh Airlines.[4][5]

Contribution to the liberation war of Bangladesh[edit]

On 3 December 1971, Alam, along with co-pilots Sultan Mahmud and Sahabuddin Ahmed, flew an Alouette helicopter armed with 14 rockets and a machine gun from Dimapur, a hilly area in the Indian state of Nagaland, to strike and destroy a fuel depot of the Pakistan Army situated near Godnail, Narayanganj. They were accompanied by two operators. The Godnail depot supplied fuel for Pakistani ground, naval, and air vehicles. In preparation for an all-out war with India, the Pakistanis stockpiled huge quantities of fuel oil. The guerrillas of the Mukti Bahini tried but failed to damage the depot due to heavy security. He and his team were successful in destroying that oil depot.[5]

Death[edit]

Badrul Alam died on 27 October 2023, at the age of 75.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "তোমাদের এ ঋণ শোধ হবে না". Prothom Alo. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. ^ Bangladesh Government Gazettes. Dhaka: Ministry of Defense, Government of Bangladesh. 15 December 1973. p. Gazettes No-8/25/D-1/72-1378.
  3. ^ "14 individuals, Navy picked for Independence Award 2016". The Daily Star. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b একাত্তরের বীরযোদ্ধাদের অবিস্মরণীয় জীবনগাঁথা (খেতাবপ্রাপ্ত মুক্তিযোদ্ধা সম্মাননা স্মারকগ্রন্থ). Janata Bank Limited. June 2012. p. 101. ISBN 978-984-33-5144-9.
  5. ^ a b একাত্তরের বীরযোদ্ধা, খেতাব পাওয়া মুক্তিযোদ্ধাদের বীরত্বগাথা (প্রথম খন্ড). Prothoma Prokashon. April 2012. p. 28. ISBN 978-984-90253-7-5.
  6. ^ "Squadron Leader (retd) Badrul Alam passes away". The Business Standard. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
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