BSS, Chittagong
Sub-commander of Sector-1 during the War of Liberation in 1971 and now Minister for Public Works & Housing Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, said he made the Shuvapur Bridge inoperative ahead of the war at the inspiration of Bangabandhu.
“Few days before the beginning of the Liberation War, I met Bangabandhu and disclosed my plan to destroy the Shuvapur Bridge to hinder the entry of the Pakistani forces into Chittagong. He hugged me and said ‘Bravo!” In an exclusive interview with BSS, Engineer Mosharraf said he made the bridge inoperative at the inspiration of Bangabandhu. This had delayed the entry of the Pakistan army into Chittagong by two days and saved the people of Chittagong from a massive genocide.
Asked why he thought about destroying the Shuvapur Bridge, Engineer Mosharraf said after listening to the 7th March speech of Bangabandhu, he could understand that it was not possible to liberate the country without an armed struggle. And hence, he thought about destroying the bridge to snap communication with Dhaka as a preparation for an eminent war to keep Chittagong free for a few more days. Engineer Mosharraf said he came to Dhaka along with Jane Alam Dobhash on March 7 and called on Bangabandhu at his Dhanmondi residence.