<i>Ila Mitra forgotten, her house in ruins</i>

13 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Azibor Rahman, Jhenidah

The seventh death anniversary of legendary peasant leader Ila Mitra passed silently yesterday in her paternal home at Bagutia village in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenidah district. No political party, leftist or rightist, took any programme to remember the leader who underwent inhuman torture during the early years of Pakistan period for her leading role in movement to protect the interest of peasants. Ila Mitra was born in 1925 in Calcutta, where her father Nagendranath, hailing from Bagutia village in Shailkupa upazila, was a service holder. In her student life, Ila Mitra joined left politics and later led the famous peasant movement known as Tebhaga Andolon in Rajshahi region in late 40s. Her paternal house at Bagutia village, some 40 kilometres away from Jhenidah town, is now in ruins while a part of the property is now occupied by locals. Now people in the area are hardly aware about the role of the aristocratic lady who dedicated her life for the downtrodden. During a visit to Bagutia village yesterday, this correspondent found sons of one Hazi Kiam Uddin living in Ila Mitra's paternal house. One of them, Ali Hossain said they purchased seven acres of land including the grand old building. Asked about the house, a few villagers said they heard that it belonged to a 'rebel person'. "Ila Mitra was a friend of farmers and the government should take steps to preserve her memory," said Rezaul Islam of neighbouring Goahil village. Contacted, Shailkupa Upazila Nirbahi Officer Azmal Haq said, "I have recently joined here. I have heard about the matter. I will take necessary action to recover the occupied land of Ila Mitra's house after investigation."