Three war heroines get new houses

Three Birangonas (war heroine) has got new houses and new addresses after 50 years of independence in Sreemangal upazila of the district.

They are Shila Guha,70, Monwara Begum,68, and Maya Khatun,65, of the upazila. The three have been abandoned by their husbands.

The trio said for 50 years, they have dreamed of a piece of land and a house in an independent country. They have visited door to door to fulfill the dream, but no one has come forward to fulfill their dream. Finally, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has fulfilled their dream.

On January 23, out of 100 homeless and landless families in Sreemangal upazila, the three war heroines got new red and green houses and land. The houses are built on the khas land.

Receiving the house, Monwara Begum said "I have been demanding a house for the last five decades. I am grateful to the prime minister for this. She has finally fulfilled my dream."

Shila Guha said her husband divorced her in 1972 when her husband came to know about her sorrowful story.

"The country, for which I endured hardships, honoured her by providing the house," she said.

Maya Khatun said "The incumbent prime minster has set a unique example by providing houses to the homeless people. I do pray for the PM to almighty."

Liberation War researcher Bikul Chakrabarty said the three women were tortured by Pakistani occupation army during the 1971 Liberation War. The Pakistani army picked up three women, including Shila, an actor of jatrapala, from Olipur Girls' High School in Kurigram, took them to camp and tortured them inhumanly. Shila's in-laws' house was in Kurigram then.

And Pakistani army caught Maya from Surerganj Primary School area in Sreemangal, took her to the nearby sub-camp and tortured her for five days.

Their husbands later abandoned the three women when they came to know that they were tortured by Pakistani army in the camp, said Bikul.

Sreemangal Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nazrul Islam said "Those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of the country had no land or no house. In this Mujib year, we have been able to give three houses to the three war heroines."

On the occasion of Mujib Year, 300 homeless families will get houses on two decimals of land in Sreemangal upazila each, he said.

"We have already handed over 100 houses to the homeless families. The rest of the work is going on. Construction work of the houses will be finished soon," said the UNO.