Shanti Committee was a group of rural committees formed in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 in 1971 by the occupying army of Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

.

Naming and Inspirations

Shanti is a Bangla word meaning peace. This committee is supposed to restore peace in East Pakistan against the Mukti Bahini. This party was clearly intermingled with Jihad, the religional war or holy war but the war was actually within two parties of Muslims. It was a war for country, not religion.

Background

On the 25th march of 1971, after beginning the liberation war of Bangladesh, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i military force had to have moral and social supports from Bengali

Bengali people

The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...

 supporters as well as the non-Bengali muhazirs to have a position to abolish the independence fighters of Bangladesh, the Muktibahini, Hemayet Bahini

Hemayet Bahini

Hemayet Bahini was a guerilla militia force of Bangladesh in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. This small force was known by the name of its leader and organizer Mohammad Hemayet Uddin Bir Bikrom....

 and Kaderiya Bahini. To detect the areas of independence fighters, have a social reform and to have guides as well as co-fighters, they formed the Shanti committee.

Sides Taking Part

some madrasa teachers, supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islam, `muhazirs’ coming from non-Bengali part of India took part in this short living force. Most of them were socially honored, powerful and most of the time, they were the lords of the society.

Works

• Having a social movement against independence fighters
• Spying against Muktibahini
• Interrogation
• Working as the guides of the regular army
• Detecting Bengali intellectuals
• Supplying food and shelter for the army
• Looting and supplying women-children to rape.

Abolition

On the 16th December 1971, Bangladesh wins against Pakistanis and they all surrendered. But all the members of Rajakar, Al-Badar, Al-Shams, Shanti Committee were forgiven and they went on with their plans.