Uncared for

A mass killing ground and a memorial for the Liberation War martyrs in the district town lie neglected throughout the year, except during special national days. 

Freedom fighters, politicians and students said the witnesses to the great Liberation War should be properly preserved. They demanded proper care of the killing ground and memorial monument throughout the year.

Freedom fighter Habibur Rahman said Pakistani collaborator Rajjab Ali Fakir launched the biggest massacre at Dakara village in Parikhali union under Rampal upazila on May 21 in 1971. They killed more than 200 civilians on that day. 

Nimai Chandra Das, another freedom fighter, said the Razakars shot dead unarmed Bengalis and slaughtered them in Shakharikati, Maghiya, Kachua Sadar of Kachua upazila as well as Dakbungalow Ghat and Kandapara of Sadar upazila.

Emranul Haq Munsi, a member of Munsibari family in Chitalmari, said many people, including two members of his family, were killed by the Razakars.

“Today, we are independent due to the sacrifice of the martyrs,” he said, adding that the government built a memorial to preserve the memories of the martyrs but it remains neglected throughout the year. 

“We urge the administration to take care of the memorial and the killing ground throughout the year,” he added.

Joyanta Das, a student of PC College, said the martyrs are remembered with flowers on the special national days and remain forgotten during the rest of the year.

Salma Khanam, a former student of Bengali literature at the college, said people are shocked when they see that the places where their near and dear ones were killed by the Pakistani collaborators are lying neglected. 

Farrukh Hasan Jewel, Bagerhat district unit general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh, said the mass killing ground of Dakbungalow Ghat on the bank of the Bhairab river is known as one of the slaughterhouses of Razakars during the War of Liberation. 

He urged the government to build a memorial pillar there.

Commander of freedom fighters of the district Shahinul Alam Chhana said at least 700 people were killed by Razakars in the district in 1971. The monuments must be protected by a wall, he added. 

Deputy Commissioner Tapan Kumar Biswas said the mass killing places and memorial monuments in the district will be preserved. The government is giving allocation for protecting those areas and the local administration will keep them in good condition, he added.