In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War the Pakistan Army set up a military camp at Gaurnadi College, adjacent to the house of Das. The collaborators alleged that Das had been training rebels under the guise of circus. Fearing a military raid, Das fled with his family to Kodaldhowa in present-day Agailjhara Upazila in Barisal District, leaving behind the circus equipment and the trained animals including elephants, tigers, bears and deer. The Pakistan Army looted the equipment and killed all the animals, including the elephant named Madhubala the star performer of Royal Pakistan Circus.