Recalling a fateful night

"We were eight brothers and lived at a rented house in the Chamelibagh area of the city. The atmosphere was eerily quiet. I just got enrolled in college during the Liberation War. On December 10, 1971, some members of al Badr came to our home at midnight. They were looking for my father. My mother started crying and we were puzzled. My father was working late, writing and translating. They picked up my father. We could hear the microbus leaving," recalled Shaheen Reza Noor, executive editor of the daily Ittefaque and son of martyred journalist Sirajuddin Hossain. Noor is the president of Prajanma '71, an organisation formed by the sons and daughters of martyrs of the Liberation War.

Sirajuddin Hossain, Noor's father, was the executive editor of the daily Ittefaque when he was abducted.
"My father was very patriotic. His writings were bold and hard hitting. On December 10, 1971 an editorial written by my father was published. During that time, my father regularly wrote a column titled “Rajnoitik Bhashyokar” in the daily Ittefaque. The column reflected the political and social conditions of that time. My father received many threats. But he never compromised. Eventually he lost his life because of his values.
"On December 18, 1971 former Attorney General Aminul Haque (he was very close to my father) came to our home and suggested that we go to Rayer Bazar. That was the first time I heard of Rayer Bazar killing field. Bangladesh Betar announced the names of the martyred intellectuals. Initially my family members looked there but could not find my father's body. For us that was the saddest part.
"In the meantime, I filed a case against my father's abductors. In January 1972, two of the abductors were arrested in Kamalapur. One was killed by the mob on the spot, while police arrested the other.”
"The trails of war criminals are not only the demand of the son of a martyr, but also the collective demand of the people of Bangladesh. I believe the whole country is with us on the issue.”