Sujanagar Upazila: History
Sujanagar (lit. City of Shuja) takes its name from the time when Mughal prince Shah Shuja sought refuge with his army in Arakan after being defeated in the war of imperial succession in 1660 CE. During this journey, Shah Shuja spent three nights in Govindaganj, which was renamed to Sujanagar in his honour.
Several people are associated with the spread of Islam into Sujanagar and are part of a long history of interactions between the Middle East, Turkestan, and South Asia. Shah Mahtab Uddin Awliya was a Sufi pir who now lies buried in the Shatania mazar (mausoleum) in the village of Pukurania, Sagarkandi Union. Sharfuddin Sarkar of Samarkand settled in Dulai (Ahladipur village) and his son, Munshi Rahimuddin Chowdhury, founded the Dulai Zamindari. His son, Azim Chowdhury, was a powerful landlord of Sujanagar who participated in the anti-colonial Sepoy Revolt in 1857. The zamindar's army was dealt with by the British Lieutenant-Governor in great length but was eventually defeated. On the other hand, the Hindu zamindar dynasty of Tantiband founded by Upendra Narayan Chaudhury and then led by Vijaya Govinda Chaudhury (son of Guru Govinda Chaudhury), assisted the British in suppressing the rebellion. Vijaya Govinda Chaudhury deployed his troops at the banks of the Padma and Jamuna as the rebels were utilising the river-routes. Vijaya Govinda Chaudhury was awarded by the British government, and the Tantiband Estate was even visited by Viceroy Lord Mayo.
In 1872, a thana (police outpost) was established in Sujanagar. The people of Sujanagar rebelled against the British Raj again in 1872 and 1926. The Ulat Siddiqia Fazil Madrasa was founded in 1915. In the East Pakistan period, Jamadar Abul Husayn of Sujanagar was shot dead at the Sujanagar High School playground by the Pakistan police on 21 February 1969. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the Bengali freedom fighters and Pakistan Army fought each other in places like Sagarkandi, Bhabanipur, Nischintapur and Satbaria. The latter three were mass killing sites. Three Bengali freedom fighters were murdered on 14 December. Another three freedom fighters were also killed: Abdul Awwal, Abdul Barik and Abdus Sadiq. On 15 December, Sujanagar gained liberation from Pakistan. Sujanagar Thana was upgraded to an upazila (sub-district) in 1983 as part of the President of Bangladesh Hussain Muhammad Ershad's decentralisation programme.