Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra
The station played an important role in the liberation struggle, broadcasting the Declaration of Independence and increasing the morale of Bangladeshis during the brutal genocide in 1971.
The Bangladeshi artists Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha, Bangabandhu Shilpigosthi, and Swadhin Bangla Muktizoddha Sangskritik Sangggo encouraged the people, including freedom fighters with their songs.
Growing disenchantment among the people of East Pakistan finally led to civil disobedience followed by the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
In the process of achieving Bangladesh's independence by trouncing the atrocities of the Pakistani military forces, the war-time broadcasting station "Shadheen Bangla Betar Kendra" played a vital role in increasing the morale of Bangladeshis by informing them of how they were advancing towards victory.
It ran the nationalist campaign throughout the war to gear up freedom fighters' morale and mobilize world opinion in favor of Bangladesh.
On 26 March 1971, just the day after the Operation Searchlight crackdown, when the brutal mass carnage by the Pakistani invaders plunged the nation into gloom and despair, at that critical juncture of history a voice was heard over the Radio saying "Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Betar Kendra Theke Ami Major Zia Balchhi".
In the afternoon of 26 March 1971, a telegram containing the message of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman reached to Syed Anwar Ali through some students in Chittagong.
She along with Syed Anwar Ali, Kazi Hosne Ara and two WAPDA engineers Mr. Ashikul Islam and Mr. Dilip Chandra Das to broadcast that message decided to cross over the Kalurghat Bridge to reach the local transmission centre controlled by the Bengali soldiers of the 8th East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman.
With profound appreciation, the nation will always remember the services of those ten individuals who included Belal Muhammad, Syed Abdus Shaker, Mustafa Monwar, Abdullah Al Faruque, Abul Quasem Shandeep, Aminur Rahman, Rashedul Hossain, A.M. Sharfuzzaman, Kazi Habib Uddin Moni and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
[1]This was the story[1] (described to the Press Trust of India-PTI's East Pakistan correspondent journalist Jyoti Sen Gupta in 1971 by Prof. Md.
Those days they were cut off from free news circulation and were forced to bring out their papers with press notes and hand-outs given by the Martial Law Authorities.
Inside Bangladesh those who heard Radio Australia passed on the news of the historic declaration in whispers to friends, neighbours and strangers.
Major Zia's call had an immediate response; the EBR, EPR and the regular police forces rose in revolt in every town and border outpost.
The strength of the Bengali revolutionary forces at Kalurghat went on swelling as people fleeing from the besieged city of Chittagong collected there.
M A Hannan, an Awami League leader from Chittagong, is said to have made the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio on 26 March 1971.
[10] Secretary of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Convener Committee Kamal Lohani recalled, For us at the radio, it was a psychological warfare so we could say things to boost up people's morale.
