During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 a direct battle was fought between the Pakistani occupation army and the freedom fighters of Mukti Bahini on 29 March in which about 40 members of the Pakistani army including Major Aslam and Captain Ishaq were killed. On 5 May 1971 Pakistani Army killed 42 employees of North Bengal Sugar Mills (Lalpur) including the then General Manager of the mill, Lieutenant Anwarul Azim; they were killed near a pond in the mill campus. The pond is now known as "Shaheed Sagar" and there is a memorial beside the pond.