Razakars and fake FFs on victory memorial plaque

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry is yet to erase the names despite submission of a written application by the Magura Muktijoddha Sangsad last year.

The memorial was built by the Zila Parishad at Vaina Square in Magura town at a cost of Tk 14.10 lake and formally opened by BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Huq Kamal on the Victory Day last year.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Former commander of Magura Muktijoddha Sangsad Khan Ali Reza, on behalf of Magura freedom fighters, submitted the petition to the secretary of the ministry on January 1, 2004 to erase names of controversial persons from the plaque. But the ministry is yet to take any step, Ali Reza told this correspondent on the Victory Day (Friday).

"It is a matter of great regret that names of Razakars Aminuddin and Khater Ali have been engraved on the victory memorial", valiant freedom fighter Bimol Kumar Biswas said while talking to this correspondent on Friday.

"The two were however killed in a gun battle with freedom fighters at Kamanna village in Jhenidah district on November 26, 1971," he said. "The supreme sacrifices of fellow freedom fighters have been ignored by putting the names of Razakars on the victory memorial. The ministry concerned should take action against those who are responsible for this", Bimol said.

Khan Ali Reza said, "Apart from names of two Razakars, there are names of people engraved on the memorial who had no contribution during the Liberation War".

"On behalf of local freedom fighters, I wrote to the secretary of Liberation War Affairs Ministry to take step to erase their names, but to no effect even after one year", Reza said.

According to him, though the 'Mukti Barta' (a booklet published by the ministry) records say 40 freedom fighters embraced martyrdom in Magura Sadar upazila, only 25 names have been engraved on the victory memorial.

In Sreepur upazila, 13 heroes laid down their lives but only four names are on the memorial. Name of a fake martyr -- Abdus Salek --has also been inscribed.

In Mohammadpur upazila, 13 freedom fighters sacrificed their lives. But the memorial contains names of nine freedom fighters and three of fake martyrs.

The memorial contains five names of 'martyrs' from Shalikha upazila but the Mukti Barta records say there was no martyr from the upazila. When contacted, Kazi Salimul Huq Kamal MP said, "Many of us know that two names of Razakars have been engraved on the memorial, but we are undone as we are not entitled to drop the names given by the district administration and prepared by the ministry." The list was prepared by the district administration during Awami League rule, Kamal claimed.