Never forget

A microphone used in Bangabandhu's March 7 speech, indigenous weapons used in the resistance war, clothes and telephone sets used by freedom fighters, transmitters used in refugee camps, letter from then Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed to his wife on the white part of an empty cigarette box, which says, "Johra, if you can, join the seven and a half crore Bangalees."

All this and more are on display at "1971: Genocide-Torture Archives and Museums" in Khulna.

Museum authorities say it is the first and sole genocide museum in South Asia.

Beyond the hopeful artefacts, there's also the tragic. Skulls and bones from mass graves, boiler of the platinum jute mill used to burn people alive, and even a blueprint copy of Niazi's genocide, the museum evokes intense emotions within its visitors.

Monoranjan Mondal, a freedom fighter and former chairperson of Batiaghata Sadar union, told this correspondent, "We should do our best to preserve evidence of the 1971 genocide and torture, identify and build a database on slaughterhouses and mass graves, and spread awareness of our genocide the world over."

The museum is situated in the same area where the Chuknagar killing field is located. Beyond photographs and documents, it features numerous remnants of the war, including broken pieces from bunkers used during that time. PHOTO: HABIBUR RAHMAN

Rare memorabilia and images of genocide and torture are displayed at the museum, including 10,000 photographs and 30 oil paintings across eight galleries, as well as some 10,300 books on the war.

Over 300 audio-visual CDs enrich the collection, while a sales centre has been opened to sell books and souvenirs.

Renowned historian Prof Muntassir Mamoon inaugurated the museum on May 17, 2014 at a temporary rented house at Moilapota in the city. It shifted to its own 21-decimal land, on a two-storey house allotted by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 27, 2015. The new premises opened to visitors on March 26, 2016.

Prof Mamoon, chairman of the trustee board that runs the institution, said, "The aim of the museum is to educate people, especially youths, about the genocide committed by the Pakistan army in association with their local collaborators."

The museum is open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm, except Monday, while on Friday it is open from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. The entrance fee is Tk.5.