Sub-commander of Sector-1 during the Liberation War in 1971 and currently Minister for Housing and Public Works Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, said he had made the Shuvapur Bridge inoperative ahead of the war at the inspiration of Bangabandhu.
“A 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.
In an exclusive interview with a new agency Engineer Mosharraf said he could make 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.
Consequently, 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.
The then Sangram Parishad in Chittagong entrusted Engineer Mosharraf with the responsibility of destroying Shuvapur Bridge. On March 25, the Pakistan army started for Chittagong from Comilla in 26 trucks to Chittagong, he added.
