Victory Day with makeshift memorial

Makeshift memorial made with bamboos and cloth at Atghoria upazila of Pabna. PHOTO: STAR

People of Atghoria upazila of Pabna are unfortunate – they don't even have a liberation war memorial even today. People of the upazila like every other year observed the victory day at a temporary memorial.
Despite laying of foundation stone for a liberation war memorial in 2001, the government is yet to construct it. It's been 42 years that they've been waiting for a memorial. Atghoria upazila administration also observed the victory day program in a makeshift memorial made out of cloths in front of the upazila parishad. “The upazila administration laid the foundation stone of the liberation war memorial in front of the upazila parishad on August 1, 2001 but the work could not be completed yet due to lack of funds,” Atghoria upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Alimul Rajib said. Men from decorators, who commonly decorate premises for weddings and celebratory events, made the structure with bamboo and cloth.
Criticizing the negligence of the government in this regard, the citizens of the Atghoria upazila urged the government to establish a permanent memorial here in the upazila parishad immediately. “It is a matter of shame that the people of Atghoria are yet to get a memorial, even after AL, which led the liberation war, has been in power for five years,” said Md. Faruk Hossain Chowdhury, a resident of Per Khidirpur village of the upazila.
Talking to the Daily Star, Atghoria upazila Muktijoddha Shangshad commander Md. Johurul Islam said that the upazila administration did not take the required steps to establish the memorial even after 12 years of laying the foundation stone. “On behalf of the people, we appealed to the upazila administration in this regard,” said he.
At least two hundred freedom fighters of the locality were martyred during the liberation war by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators, according to freedom fighters of the area. Four major battles took place here in 1971, at Bonshipara, Lokhhmipur, Shreepur and Majpara in the upazila.