Mymensingh District

Mymensingh District (Mymensingh Division) area 4080.18 sq km, located in between 24°15' and 25°12' north latitudes and in between 90°04' and 90°49' east longitudes. It is bounded by Garo Hills and Meghalaya state of India on the north, gazipur district on the south, netrokona and kishoreganj districts on the east, sherpur, jamalpur and tangail districts on the west.

Population Total 4812052; male 2391382, female 2420670; Muslim 4610504, Hindu 170330, Buddhist 108, Christian 27943 and others 3167. Indigenous communities such as garo, Koch, Dalu, Barman and hajong belong to this district.

Water bodies Main rivers: old brahmaputra, Bhogai, Bajua, kangsa.

Administration Mymensingh district was formed in 1787. The previous name of the Mymenshing Town was Nasirabad. Of the 17 districts of Dhaka Division, Mymenshingh District is the biggest.

District
Area (sq km)	Upazila	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
						Urban	Rural
4080.18	12	10	136	1973	2501	798127	4013925	1029	43.5

Others Information of District
Name of Upazila	Area (sq km)	Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
Ishwarganj	280.43	1	11	284	294	376348	1342	41.0
Gaffargaon	398.30	1	15	199	214	430746	1081	49.3
Gauripur	276.74	1	10	240	289	323057	1167	43.6
Trishal	338.45	1	12	89	158	419308	1239	40.0
Dhobaura	252.23	-	7	99	164	196284	778	29.4
Nandail	326.37	1	12	162	265	402727	1234	40.4
Phulpur	311.88	1	10	194	220	303546	973	38.2
Fulbaria	398.70	1	13	104	116	448467	1125	42.3
Bhaluka	444.05	1	11	87	110	430320	969	49.1
Mymensingh Sadar	380.72	1	13	118	175	775733	2037	51.7
Muktagachha	314.70	1	10	252	282	415473	1320	43.5
Haluaghat	357.61	-	12	145	214	290043	811	38.9

Source  Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Historical events various areas of the Mymensingh district are known for active involvement of the local people in anti-British movement, the Pagalpanthi movement, the fakir Revolt, Tonk movement, Tebhaga movement, peasants’ movement, the language movement and the mass movement of 1969.

War of Liberation The crackdown by the Pak army at Dhaka took place at the night of 25 March 1971 but Pakistani soldiers entered Mymensingh city after 23 April. Meanwhile Mymensingh pepole took preparations for resistance and established a training camp for the freedom fighters at Kandania-Langal Shimul Bazar of Bhabanipur union under Fulbaria upazila. On 27 March an encounter was held between the Bangali and non-Bangali members of the Khagdahar EPR Camp of Mymensingh Sadar upazila. On 17 April Machine Gun firing from two Pak fighter planes on Gaffargaon upazila caused death of 17 innocent persons while more than one hundred persons were wounded. On 21 April the Pak army brutally killed 18 villagers of Rajgati, Shuvakhila and Kaliganj of Nandail upazila and also set a few hundred houses of these areas on fire. The Pak army took control over Mymensingh Town after 23 April. The same day, the freedom fighters resisted the Pak army at Jalchhatra on their way to Muktagachha. During the war of liberation the freedom fighters, under Commander Refazuddin, launched attacks on the Pak army at Bat Tali, Bhiti Bari and Muktagachha Police Station. A battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Katakhali Bazar of Trishal upazila on 7 June in which about 50 Pak soldiers were killed. On 19 July 1971 a day long encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at village Jigatala of Dhobaura upazila in which 11 persons including two freedom fighters were killed. A direct encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army on 6 August 1971 at the Bandarkata Camp of Haluaghat upazila in which freedom fighters Abdul Aziz and Parimal were killed. In the month of August an encounter was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Porabari Bazar in Mathbari union under Trishal upazila in which two freedom fighters were killed. Freedom fighter Abdur Rahman was killed in an encounter with the Pak army at Bhangnamari Char of this upazila. On the mid night of 3 October 1971, the Pakistan army suddenly attacked the Muktibahini camp at Guatala Bazar of Dhobaura upazila and killed four freedom fighters. Next day the Pakistan army conducted mass killing at Guatala Bazar and Taraikandi Ferry Ghat in which about 120 persons were killed. On 16 October, 6 freedom fighters were killed in an encounter with the Pak army in Ishwarganj upazila. On 3 November the freedom fighters of Haluaghat launched simultaneous attacks on the strong Pak army base at Telikhali from three sides, Karaitala, Baghaitala and Ramchandrakura; in this battle 121 Pak soldiers were killed and so were 26 freedom fighters. On 17 November an encounter between the Pak army and the freedom fighters were held in Nandail upazila in which a number of people including freedom fighters Elias Uddin Bhuiya and Shamsul Haque were killed. This day is being observed as the ‘Nandail Shaheed Day’ every year. During the War of Liberation Afsar Uddin Ahmed, Sub Sector Commander of Sector 11, locally trained freedom fighters, collected arms and ammunitions and challenged the Pak army. A fierce battle was held between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at Lakshipur under Fulbaria upazila in which about 70 persons on both sides were killed. In 1971 the people of village Digharkanda resisted the Pak army with indigenous weapons such as Sarki, Ballam, Da and Lathi, when the Pak army raided the village at night; in this encounter a Pak Major was killed. In retaliation, the Pak army launched an attack on the village on the day following in which a number of villagers were killed. The Pak army abducted 9 persons including Satyendranath Datta, Head Master of Payari High School of Phulpur upazila and took them to Sarchapur mass killing site. However, Satyendranath Datta could escape immediately before firing by diving into water. Besides, a frontal battle was fought between the freedom fighters and the Pak army at village Ramsona under Sandhara union of this upazila in which 33 freedom fighters were killed. Eleven freedom fighters were killed in an encounter with the Pak army at Rayer Gram of Trishal upazila. Besides, during the War of Liberation the Pak army established military camps in different places of the district and conducted mass killing, torture and plundering; they also set many houses of the district on fire. There are 7 mass killing sites at Dakbungalowr Char of Mymensingh Sadar, Chawkbazar, Jelkhanar Char, river bank of Shambhuganj, Boror Char, Bangladesh Agricultural University compound and Rasulpur of Muktagachha.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 43.5%; male 44.9%, female 42.2%. Educational institutions: university 2, medical college 3, college 63, cadet college 1, teachers training college 4, vocational training institute 2, polytechnic institute 1, secondary school 506, primary school 2043, art school 1, community school 6, satellite school 24, NGO operated school 1065, nursery school 59, deaf and dump school 1, music school 3, madrasa 1212. Noted educational institutions: bangladesh agricultural university (1960), Ananda Mohan Government College (1908), Mymensingh Medical College (1968), Mymensingh Girls' Cadet College (1964), Muminunnesa Government Girls' College (1959), Mukul Niketan High School (1959), Vidyamoyee Government Girls' High School (1873), Phulpur Pilot High School (1882), Ramgopalpur PJK High School (1890), Muktagachha Ram Kishore High School (1894), Kandipara Askar Ali High School (1906), Mahakali Girls' School and College (1907), Birai Taltala Girls' High School (1902), Edward Institution (1903), Radha Sundari Girls' High School (1927), Bangladesh Railway Government High School (1925), Saint Mary's Girls' Junior High School (1929), Mymensingh Zila School (1853), City Collegiate School (1883), Mrityunjoy School (1901), Nasirabad Collegiate School (1911), Nazrul Academy (1913), Katlasen Kaderia Kamil Madrasa (1890), Chargoadanga Senior Fazil Madrasa (1915), Pachbag Islamia Fazil Madrasa (1921), Sherpur Islamia Fazil Madrasa (1927).

Main sources of income Agriculture 64.14%, non-agricultural labourer 3.65%, industry 0.82%, commerce 11.40%, transport and communication 3.53%, service 6.21%, construction 1.33%, religious service 0.21%, rent and remittance 0.46% and others 8.25%.

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Jahan, Banglar Jamin, Insaf, Ajker Smriti, Shipa, Swadesh Sangbad; weekly: Mymensingh Barta, Ajker Muktagachha; defunct: Kumar, Bigyapani (1866), Bangalee (1874), Surid (1875), Pramadi (1875), Bharat Mihir (1875), Sanjibani (1878), Basana (1899), Abriti (1901), Swadesh Sampad (1905), Shikkha Saurav (1912), Hafez Shakti (1924), Ganavijan (1938), weeekly Charumihir (1939), Uttar Akash (1959), Aunirban (1963), Jagrata Bangla (1971).

Folk culture Notable folk culture of the district include maimansingha gitika, rhymes, Boul song, Palageet, proverbs of the Garo community, sloka (hiluk) of the Hajong community, riddle (thachi-katha),

Important installations Museum, Mymensingh Town Hall, bangladesh institute of nuclear agriculture and bangladesh fisheries research institute (mymensingh sadar Upazila). [Samar Pal]

See also The upazilas under this district.

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Mymensingh District 2007; Cultural survey report of upazilas of Mymensingh District 2007.