Behind the reverent veneer
IN recent times, the nation has witnessed animated debates and discussions about the procedural deficits and even the very maintainability of the trial of persons for crimes against humanity in 1971. The sight of very old bearded persons, some hobbling, apparently with an ecclesiastical appearance, facing the rigours of trials for a long time, has even evoked sympathy in some hearts. Some younger folks, particularly women, unaware of the atrocities committed by a section of the Bengali population on their fellow countrymen and co-religionists in 1971, appear to be ambivalent about the legal and moral validity of the trials.
The scenario, quite clearly, calls for a recapitulation of at least a few gory incidents of that cataclysmic year to remind us of our debt to posterity and history. Historical events and culpability thereof, surely, need to be placed in correct perspective.
At this point of time we may or may not venture to discuss about the credible and documented accounts of the dastardly crimes against humanity committed by Bengali collaborators in 1971. However, it might be relevant to refer to one direct firsthand experience of this scribe. This refers to the unbelievably brutal murders committed by one Rajab Ali Razakar, a former caretaker (Khadem) of a holy shrine in a small south-western town. There are living witnesses to this date who would testify that the said Rajab Ali used to eat his breakfast only after personally slaughtering, by means of machete, a Hindu or a freedom fighter. This was his daily schedule for quite some time.
To recollect and appreciate the tragic happenings of 1971 in the then East Pakistan, one must recognise that the full extent of Bengali genocide became understood painfully slowly. Quite late in the day, it became manifest that the Bengalis of East Pakistan had fallen victim to a uniquely satanic programme of mass murder. The ordeal left many survivors homeless and dispossessed.
In 1971, while some Bengalis scaled summits of courage and nobility, there were shameless collaborators who plumbed depth of evils in a fashion that compels the awe of posterity. Amongst many present day citizens of Bangladesh, to whom serious hardship and collective peril are unknown, the tribulations that millions endured in the fateful nine months of 1971 are almost beyond comprehension. It was a contest between good and evil that imposed monumental misery upon so many.
It is also worth pondering that only a tiny fraction of those guilty of crimes against humanity in 1971 have been indicted. This is partly because the victors had no stomach for the scale of executions, numbering several hundred, that would have been necessary had strict justice been enforced against every criminal accused of crimes against humanity. Very few retributive executions took place in liberated Bangladesh. Students of history may like to compare this with events of post-World War II in Europe where nearly a thousand retributive executions took place in the western zones of occupation. Some 920 Japanese were executed, more than three hundred of them by the Dutch, for crimes committed in the East Indies.
The post-liberation generation of Bangladesh needs to know that the Bengali villains and criminals of 1971 have not been held to account for their misdeeds for a long time, owing to factors better left unsaid. That, however, cannot be grounds for exonerating the sinister collaborators from charges framed later. There is also no reason to show mercy to these evil characters on account of their age because they have proved their incorrigibility by words and wishes. These criminals do not show any remorse or regret even now.
The haggard and frail looking characters in the docks with drooping postures must not make us forget the gory crimes they committed in full public view in complete disregard of morals and scruples. Their actions turned countless women into widows and scores of children into orphans. A particular faith became a nightmarish burden for a sizable population due to their perverted fanaticism.
Believers know full well that patriotism is an inseparable part of the faith. That being so, persons accused of crimes against humanity in 1971 have quite manifestly defied and defiled their own faith. They deserve no compassion and consideration, morally or legally. The devil must pay his due with a view to establishing fair play and justice.
The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star.
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