Bogura mass grave gets formal recognition 49 years after Liberation War

A mass grave of 26 martyrs was formally recognised by the district administration in Bogura's Sadar upazila, nearly 49 years after the war of independence.

Md Humayan Kabir Khandakar, commissioner of the Rajshahi division, inaugurated the plaque of Koichor mass grave at Fapor Union Parishad premises around 5:00pm today.

"I am happy to be a witness to the Koichor mass grave. Children will learn the history of the Liberation War of Bangladesh when coming across such monuments," he said.

A Shaheed Minar was also inaugurated on the premises today.

According to the district administration, the mass graveyard was there but not recognised before today. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, construction workers of the Fapor union parishad building unearthed a huge number of bones and skeletons. They later buried all the bones near the building.

Mujibor Rahman (75), who buried the martyrs' bodies during the war, said, "The Pakistan army held captive 26 men of different ages, most of them Hindu, in a room of the then Fapor High School in the beginning of May, 1971. The Pakistan army men queued up 13 of them and brush-fired. Later, in the same way, they brush-fired another 13 men on the same spot."

Mujibor further said, "Later, the army men called five youths from Fapor and Koichor village, including me. They compelled us to dig a mass grave and bury the dead bodies."

Among the 26 martyrs, the district administration identified 21 martyrs as: Kalipad Singha, Karno Prashad Singha, Gozendranath Singha, Syamal Chandra Singra, Shibash Das, Golok Chandra Das, Nani Chandra Das, Sudhir Chandra Das, Gupi Chandra Das, Gobindra Mohnta, Nitai Chandra Das, Pollard Chandra Das, Sudhanshu Chandra Das, Nitai Chandra Das, Hari Dutta, Gonesh Chandra, Binoy Chandra Shaha, Nogendranath Shaha, Narayan Chandra, Hirandranath Shaha, Gouro Gopal Mohonta.

They are from different places of Bogura's Sadar upazila.

Sibani Bala Singha (81), wife of Karno Prosad Singha (one of the 26 martyrs) told The Daily Star "After the war started, I along with my family members were going to India using this route in May, 1971. After the end of the first day, 50 of us, among which were Hindu men, women and children went for shelter to Dumur village.

"During the night, Pakistani army attacked the house and picked up my husband and three other men of my family. Next morning, we learnt that the Pakistan army brush-fired them at the Fapor High School."

Azizur Rahman, upazila nirbahi officer of Sadar upazila said the other five martyrs are yet to be identified.

Ziaul Haque, deputy commissioner of Bogura, said, "First, we collected information from the victim's families and made a list. Later, we justified the list by talking with freedom fighters, other family members of the victims and eye witnesses. This is how we identified the 21 martyrs so far."

They will now list this graveyard through the liberation war affairs ministry, said the DC.

After the inauguration, a small discussion programme was arranged at the Fapor Union Parishad, where family members of the martyrs and local freedom fighters spoke.