<i>22 Satkhira killing grounds, mass graves now hardly recognisable</i>
NEGLIGENCE UNFORGIVABLE! A mass grave of people killed by the Pakistan occupation army at Muralikati Palpara in Kalaroa upazila of Satkhira district during the Liberation War lies in utter neglect in absence of authorities' initiative for its preservation.Photo: STAR
Twenty-two killing grounds and mass graves in the district, bearing testimony to the barbaric massacres by the Pakistan occupation forces during the 1971 Liberation War, are now hardly recognisable to visitors as the authorities concerned have failed to take any initiative to preserve those. Left neglected even after 40 years of independence, almost all of the killing grounds, locally known as badhyabhumis, have lost their visible marks, locals said. Not only that, most of the killing grounds have already been grabbed by local influential people. After the independence, skeletons, bones and skulls of a large number of people killed by Pak occupation forces were recovered from these killing grounds and mass graves. As the Pakistan army started massacre of the freedom-loving people of this country in March 1971, thousands of people from different areas took shelter at Satkhira Town High School and adjoining areas, considering it a safe place. On April 20, Pak army attacked the area, killed around 1500 people and buried them in mass graves at Katia in the town, locals said. On April 26, 1971 the Pak army opened fire on a large number of people who gathered near Jhhowdanga Bazaar in Sadar upazila on their way to India in fear of life. Over two thousand massacred people, mostly women and children, were buried in a cropland at Jhowdanga. Nine potters, killed by Pakistani soldiers on April 28 at Sreepatipur Palpara village in Kalaroa upazila, were buried at Sreepatipur. Eleven freedom fighters including Subedar Shamsul Alam sacrificed their lives in a fierce fighting with the Pak occupation army at Bhomra on May 29, 1971 and they were buried at Bhomra in Sadar upazila. On June 12, valiant freedom fighters killed at least 59 Pakistani soldiers in a fierce fight at Town Sreepur in Debhata upazila. Eight freedom fighters including Shamsuzzoha Kajal, Nazmul Arefin, Narayan Dhar and Abul Kalam Azad borrowed martyrdom in the dreadful fight. The martyred were buried at Town Sreepur. On July 27, twelve freedom fighters were killed in a fierce fighting with Pakistani Army at Narayanpur in Kaliganj upazila. Zobeda Begum, 70, of Narayanpur village told this correspondent that her sister-in-law Ayesha Khatun buried the bodies in a bush near their house at Narayanpur. On August 14, five freedom fighters including Subedar Elias Ali, Kalam and Abdul Kader were killed in a fierce fighting with Pakistani army at Gopalnagar in Shyamnagar upazila and they were buried there the following day. Three people including freedom fighter Manoranjan were by killed by criminals at Keargati in Assassuni upazila on August 16 and they were buried at Keargati. Pakistan army and their local collaborator rajakars killed over two hundred people in Kalaroa upazila and buried them at Kalaroa football ground, Sonabaria, Panchnal, Bamankhali, Bhadiali, Chandanpur, Khordo and Madra killing grounds. The Pak occupation forces killed several hundred people near Bakal Bridge and in Mahmudpur and Sultanpur areas of Sadar upazila and buried them there. Local freedom fighters and common people have demanded proper steps for preservation of the 22 identified mass graves where martyred freedom fighters were buried. Memorials should be built at the mass graves of the martyred freedom fighters to keep memory of the heroic sons of the soil alive in the mind of future generations, said Abu Bakar Siddique, commander of Satkhira Sadar upazila unit of Muktijoddha Sangsad.
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