Bajitpur Upazila

Bajitpur Upazila (kishoreganj district) area 193.76 sq km, located in between 24°09' and 24°18' north latitudes and in between 90°50' and 91°03' east longitudes. It is bounded by katiadi, nikli and austagram upazilas on the north, kuliarchar, bhairab and sarail upazilas on the south, Austagram and nasirnagar upazilas on the east, Katiadi upazila on the west.

Population Total 248730; male 121856, female 126874; Muslim 226617, Hindu 22089, Buddhist 1, Christian 20 and others 3.

Water bodies Main rivers: meghna, old brahmaputra, dhaleshwari, Ghorautra; noted canals: Shialdi, Kadangi, Barakhal, Bhabdia and Chhaivan; noted beels: Bengla, Barun, Aurondi and laundi.

Administration Bajitpur Thana was formed in 1835 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983. Bajitpur municipality was formed in 1869.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	11	84	188	34898	213832	1284	60.4	37.8

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
9.57	9	28	34898	3647	60.4

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Kailag 72	2679	8639	8918	27.9
Gazir Char 43	1619	4930	5112	42.7
Dighirpar 25	3610	10121	10601	33.3
Dilalpur 34	2606	9133	9487	38.0
Pirijpur 86	5730	16107	17173	42.2
Baliardi 17	2090	7561	8342	34.5
Maij Char 77	5483	8180	8439	22.5
Sarar Char 94	3055	13349	13522	53.4
Hilachia 60	6030	13705	14053	34.7
Halimpur 51	5048	7154	8329	47.8
Humaipur 69	7301	5416	5561	24.2

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Dewanbari Jami Mosque at Bhagalpur, Mazar of Pagla Shankara at Ghagatia, Mazar of Pir Motiur at Basantapur, Mazar of Mughal Shah at Dilalpur.

Historical events The naval port of Dilalpur of this upazila was famous during the British period. There were indigo planting centers at nearby Gupinathpur and Ghoraghat. Pearls used to be exported from this place to the Bhati region. The fakir-sannyasi resistance spread over Bajitpur.

War of Liberation In 1971 the Pak army brutally killed over 400 innocent persons, and 60 women were violated. On 4 May the Pak army conducted mass killing at Bash Mahal of Shahankhal. Freedom fighters of the upazila attacked the collaborators of Pak army at the Alochaya Cinema Hall and they later attacked the launch of the mobile troop of Pak army at the Kalia jetty and damaged their vessel. They also carried out operation at Bajitpur police station and the Bagmara bridge. 10 freedom fighters were killed in encounters with the Pak army during the war of liberation. Bajitpur was liberated on 26 October 1971. There is a mass grave at Sarar Char rail gate and one memorial monument has been built at Pirijpur.

For details: see বাজিতপুর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৬।

Religious institutions Mosque 185, temple 13, tomb 38, akhra 10.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 41.2%; Male 42.6%, female 39.8%. Educational institutions: medical college 1, college 2, nursing institute 1, secondary school 15, primary school 115, madrasa 10. Noted educational institutions: Zahurul Islam Medical College and Nursing Institute (1989), Bajitpur Degree College (1964), Aftab Uddin School and College (1990), Bajitpur HE School (1890), Bajitpur Hafez A Razzak Pilot High School (1890), Sarar Char Shibnath Multilateral High School (1918), Razzakunnesa Girl's High School (1955), Bhagalpur Begum Rahima Girls High School.

Newspapers and periodicals Weekly: Mazlumer Dak; monthly: Bajitpur Samachar; quarterly: Dut.

Cultural organisations Club 55, library 13, press club 1, theatre club 1, writer's association 1, women's society 1, playground 10, cinema hall 2.

Main sources of income Agriculture 54.76%, non-agricultural labourer 3.71%, industry 0.75%, commerce 16.73%, transport and communication 4.58%, service 5.19%, construction 1.41%, religious service '0.22%, rent and remittance 0.74% and others 11.19%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 50.82%, landless 49.18%; agricultural landowner: urban' 36.49% and rural 52.99%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, mustard, chilli, potato, ground nut, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, linseed, china, kaun, tobacco, pulse, betel leaf.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, banana, lotkon, wood-apple, shaddock.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries This upazila has a number of fisheries, dairies, poultries and hatcheries.

Communication facilities Pucca road 97 km, semi-pucca road 7 km, mud road 260 km; railway 17 km and waterway 50 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart, buffalo cart.

Noted manufactories Paddy mill, saw mill, ice factory, leather factory, welding factory. '

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, weaving, potteries, dried fish processing centre, wood work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 19, fairs 10, most noted of which are Sarar Char Hat, Fatehpur Bazar, Shreedharganj Bazar, and Kamalpur Mela, Kamiar Bari Mela and Dewan Bari Mela.

Main exports Fish, egg, milk, chicken, rice, banana.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 55.7% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 96.6%, tap 0.9% and others 2.5%. The presence of arsenic has been detected almost 90% in shallow tube-well water of this upazila.

Sanitation 48.9% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 44.3% of dwelling houses use non-sanitary latrines; 6.8% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Heath centres Medical college hospital 1, upazila health complex 1, satellite health clinic 9, union health and family welfare centre 11.'

Natural disasters Many people of this upazila died due to famines of 1943 and 1974. There were serious damages to houses, crops and livestock due to floods of 1988 and 2004. Besides, Maij Char union of this upazila was ransacked by cyclone of 1997.

NGO activities brac, proshika, asa, Pally Bikash Kendra. [AKM Mesbahuddin Kamal]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Bajitpur Upazila 2007.