Lt Col (Retd) Md Shahadat Hossain :
Kundachari is possibly one of the remotest places of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) where I was deployed in 1984 for border demarcation security duty. It is located inside Bangladesh near Mizoram border of India. After completing border demarcation security duties on the zero line in general area Boro Kuradiya under Kaprai Region, we shifted our temporary camp at a distance reasonably away from zero line and the name of that place was Kundachari. During those days in those areas, insurgents used to indiscriminately fire towards the camps of security forces from far away distance for which we had to make our camps well dug in. The two bamboo structured barracks seen in the photo were our troops barracks. First, we have had reconnaissance (in short reccee or survey) the general area for few days by foot patrolling and then selected the most suitable place considering all essential factors point of view and
got the approval from higher HQs.
Once approval was given, we thirty soldiers, led by me, started for establishing the mew camp carrying three days dry ration inside our pack 08 (soldier’s bag carried on back side during operation). We slept first few days and nights under open sky or under heavy rains too and cleaned the hilltop to make the camp. Right from the first day we also started making a helipad so that helicopter can land and support us as soon as we would finish our dry ration. We were unfortunate to prepare the helipad on scheduled time as there were
lots of big trees which must had to cut
to clear the helicopter’s landing approach.
I remember we almost starved for another three days (survived on water, local bamboo roots, few biscuits and four left over condensed milk pot. On the sixth day morning we all had one mug of diluted milk (one pot of condensed milk was put in sixty mug of water and then boiled). On that very day the helicopter pilot came with the load from Kaptai and over flow us but did not land (according to our view pilot could have landed while according to their view it was risky to land so they went back). I remember I was desperate while talking to my commanding officer, as my soldiers were hungry for three days. I have requested for a joint court of inquiry to find out whether or not the helipad was suitable for emergency landing (I remember I lost my faith on that day on pilots due to our hunger though they were our only morale for long ten months. It seemed to me that the outside world is not realising our situation at an
isolated place, the condition of a poor lieutenant as a junior leader!). Next morning helicopter landed with readymade food including fifteen day’s dry rations. There was a letter from my family too which was posted to my Kaptai address and so was waiting to be delivered by helicopter at my end. I remember, when the helicopter went back, all my soldiers were busy for eating the readymade food first but I was reading the letter first
(I was single junior officer with them and was always lonely due to the differences of our education, rank and status). I also remember that I used to stay inside the same bamboo structured barrack with my soldiers, which we made first (the left hut on the photo. On the background the Indian Mizoram border is seen too). The life started becoming easier day-by-day and at one stage we also made a separate bamboo structured officer’s field mess where I stayed for another few months being along. We used to carry water from the bottom of the hill (556 muddy stairs on hill sides). Bathing and drinking from the only available running water source Kundachari which was a small hilly stream or nulla. The name of the local area was also Kundachari due to this
water stream Kundachari.
I also remember days and nights of those few months totally away from the outside world when I used to see only the local nature, faces of my under command soldiers, the sun, moon and the helicopter on the sky and few faces of incoming visitors, mainly pilots, higher
commanders etc who used to visit periodically
(came and returned by the same helicopter sortie). I used to think about my FCC classmates who were
then studying at different universities
and enjoying their young age in colourful city life.
Today while looking at this photo just thought that our countrymen and the present younger generation must know how our days were in those days while fighting against so called Shantibahini or insurgents of CHT to make the situation up to present situation. I remember I lost one soldier on an ambush laid by Shantibahini (my soldier named Mohammad who didn’t want to go for patrolling on that day for the reason, which he could not convince, for not going. I ordered him to go and I made him the number one scout (the first leading man of the patrol). May be the poor Mohammad realised in
subconscious mind that his angel of death was around which could not be understood by me!). However, I don’t regret for my order (as everyone must had to
participate on his scheduled dates unless sick) but always thought in my rest of the life that had I not forced him to go for patrolling on that day, possibly
he could survive like me until now.
I may also inform my countrymen and the readers that there was no operation money given to us on those days for such a painful living. We were not given any money to construct our barracks (as officially we were allotted with tents for living though tents could never be used due to heavy wind on the hill tops). We used to
collect local resources for the constructions and make the camps by ourselves. We used to collect our own
firewood by ourselves for every day’s cooking. Soldiers living in the camps had to work every day very hard from dawn to dusk and then again do the sentry duties at night for the fear of insurgents or as part of security measures. I know that Kundachari Camp is there until now and there were many soldiers and officers operating there from many units since the beginning but
possibly many even did not know who all
established that difficult camp at such remote place. It was ‘Alpha Company’ soldiers of 23 BDR (present BGB) and me (the then Lieutenant Shahadat) who was then on deputation to BDR from Army for the border demarcation security duties. I had my
toughest 10 months time on that Mizoram bord
ering area (almost every week one or two times lives firing exchanges against the insurgents’ action) but after so many years now have a good feelings in
thinking that I did border demarcation duties too and it was me who selected and established
Kundachari Camp, back in 1984.
for peace process in 1992-93)
