বাংলা 
English 
Electrical machines, circuits or power — perhaps these were the objects of his attraction. His dream and goal was to become an electrical engineer. He was about to cross the final stage of fulfilling that goal. But while still in his final year of engineering, the call came to save the motherland. He could not ignore that irresistible call. So he fought, laid down his own life, and set our Bangladesh free.
Martyr Shahidul Islam was a student of the 67 series at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology. Born on 29 September 1949, this brave martyr fell just 10 days before independence, on 6 December 1971. He was born in Shyampur village, adjacent to Durbachara, under the Ujan Gram Union Parishad of Sadar Thana in Kushtia district.
His mother was Rabeya Khatun. His father Chalim Uddin Biswas was a former UP chairman and a fighter and organiser of the Liberation War. It was from his father that Shahidul Islam received the direct command to go to the Liberation War. Taking his two brothers with him, he left for India to take war training.
Bangladesh was in turmoil in the mass uprising of 1969. With the engineering college closed, Shahidul Islam came back to his home village of Durbachara in Kushtia. He brought together the students, youth, farmers, workers and people of the area with the aim of building a mass movement. The then Pakistani government issued a warrant of arrest against him. The Pakistani forces picked him up from his home. With the help of the subdivisional administrator, he was released from jail after 11 days. Even before 1971, this finest son of RUET had initiated himself into the mantra of independence.
Restless and brilliant from childhood, this hero was a student of Durbachara Primary School and Durbachara Junior School, Kushtia Zilla School and Kushtia Government College. After passing his HSC in 1967, this student — who had passed the SSC examination in the first division — enrolled in the Electrical Department of Rajshahi Engineering College (now RUET).
Responding to Bangabandhu's historic speech of 7 March 1971, he organised a meeting on the local Durbachara school ground, taking his father Chalim Uddin Biswas with him. He called upon the several hundred fighters present to go to war. He himself too set out for training.
After finishing the training he returned to his own area. Then began this brave son's battle against the Pakistani invading forces. Durbachara became a strong stronghold of the freedom fighters. He attacked the house of Aftab Munshi, chairman of the Peace Committee. He took part in the famous Battle of Banshtala. In this battle, held on 5 September, 60 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the freedom forces' attack on Kushtia Sadar. He took part in quite a few more frontal battles on the Kushtia–Khulna highway, including Balia Para and Laksipur.
Victory was then close at hand. 6 December 1971. A frontal battle with the invading Pakistani forces was going on in Karimpur village of Ujangram Union in Kushtia Sadar Upazila. In that battle Shahidul Islam was martyred. He sacrificed his own life for the independence of the country.
To preserve his memory, one hall of RUET was named Shahid Shahidul Islam Hall. Every RUETian proudly remembers this martyred freedom fighter who was a former student of their institution.
