Honour the accused
Speakers at a book launch yesterday demanded the government honour all the 35 accused in the historic Agartala case with Independence Award, considering them as national heroes.
The Agartala case is one of the milestones in history as it paved the way to the country's independence, they said, adding that the accused had contribution in freeing Bangladesh.
The Pakistan government framed the case in 1968 against 35 political personalities and high government officials. They were accused of being involved in a conspiracy to secede the East wing from Pakistan with the help of the Indian government.
The launching ceremony of "Manik Chowdhury: Swadhinata Songramer Bismrito Nayok", a biographical book edited by Nasiruddin Chowdhury, was held at Liberation War Museum.
Vupati Chowdhury alias Manik Chowdhury was one of the accused in the Agartala conspiracy case and also one of the organisers of the Liberation War of 1971.
The speakers said although the name of Manik Chowdhury was forgotten, he had been an unsung hero.
The accused are not being recognised the way they should have been, said Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, former chief adviser to a caretaker government.
But the people involved in the case should not be sorry as they will be respected forever, he said.
Manik's struggle for the people did not stop with the end of independence, he said.
Historian Prof Muntasir Mamun said the government should award all the 35 accused as they wanted to do something for the country, putting their lives at risk.
He also said the book would serve as an important addition to history and help those who would write in the future.
Commander (retd) Abdur Rouf and flight sergeant (retd) Abdul Jalil, accused of the case, and Ranjit Kumar Biswas, ndc, also spoke at the ceremony organised by Muktijuddher Chetona Sangrakhkhan Parishad.
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