Bangabir General Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani | |
|---|---|
মোহাম্মদ আতাউল গনী ওসমানী | |
| 1st Commander-in-Chief of Bangladesh Army | |
| In office 12 April 1971 – 6 April 1972 | |
| President | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Syed Nazrul Islam Abu Sayeed Chowdhury |
| Prime Minister | Tajuddin Ahmed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Succeeded by | K. M. Shafiullah (as Chief of Army Staff) |
| Member of Parliament for Sylhet-6 | |
| In office 7 March 1973 – 1975 | |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Ashraf Ali |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 September 1918 Sunamganj, Assam, British India |
| Died | 16 February 1984 (aged 65) London, United Kingdom |
| Resting place | Shah Jalal Dargah Cemetery Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| Awards |  Bir Uttom .svg){kind=small} Independence Award |
| Nickname(s) | Bangabir (বঙ্গবীর), Papa Tiger |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British India (1939-1947) Pakistan (1947-1967) Bangladesh (1971-1972) |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 1939–1972 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | Indian Army Service Corps Punjab Regiment East Bengal Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
Mohammad Ataul Gani Osmani (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ আতাউল গনী ওসমানী; 1 September 1918 – 16 February 1984) was a Bangladeshi military officer and revolutionary. His military career spanned three decades, beginning with his service in the British Indian Army in 1939. He fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II, and after the partition of India in 1947, he joined the Pakistan Army and served in the East Bengal Regiment, retiring as a colonel in 1967. Osmani joined the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in 1971 as the commander-in-chief of the nascent Bangladesh Forces. Regarded as the founder of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, Osmani retired as the first full general from the Bangladesh Army in 1972.[1][2]
Osmani entered politics in independent Bangladesh, serving as a member of parliament and cabinet minister in the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Along with Mainul Hosein, he resigned from parliament in opposition to the creation of the one party state of BAKSAL. He advised the government on restoring the chain of command in the military after the 15 August coup. He contested the 1978 Bangladeshi presidential election against Ziaur Rahman. Osmani died in London in 1984 and was buried in his hometown Sylhet.[3]
- ^ "List of Chief of Army Staff - Bangladesh Army". Bangladesh Army.
- ^ "The man who inspired us during war". The Daily Star. September 2017.
- ^ "Remembering our Hero". 14 February 2014.