Tepri rani is a 65-years-old Bangladeshi woman who waited for almost 50 years to be recognised as a freedom fighter. She was 16-years-old, newly married when the Pakistani occupation army picked her up from her home in Bolidwar village of Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail upazila. She was sexually assaulted for 6 months in the Pakistani army camp.
In an interview to The Daily Star, Tepri Rani said, “They (Pakistani occupation army) used to torture me if I did not act as per their will”.
On December 1971, Bangladesh was freed from Pakistan. It marks their Liberation day, and the liberation of Tepri Rani and many such women like her. Though, worst was not over. Tepri Rani husband refused to accept her. Society discarded and humiliated her daily existence as if she hasn't faced enough. When Tepri Rani returned to her Father's home, her father tried to get her married to someone else, but no one agreed. Tepri was also carrying a child, a child who had to hear "Punjabi's son" as a slur while he was growing up.
She toiled day and night on meagre wages to sustain herself and her son. From selling vegetables to working in rice mills, Tepri's struggles had no end. It was as late as in 2017 when the Government of Bangladesh bestowed her with the title of "Birangana". The government awards the honour to women who were subjected to rape and violence during the Liberation War.
Tepri started receiving allowances as a freedom fighter from March 2018. The Thakurgaon deputy commissioner’s office also built a two-room brick house for her. But, she still holds the scars of the war crimes committed against her. The demons of her past haunts her present. The recognition came too late, while the society struggled to accept her.
Her strong will, determination and countless silent tears defined the bravado of this 65-year-old Freedom Fighter: Tepri Rani
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