<i>Ila Mitra's death anniversary passes unnoticed </i>
Her parental house, lands grabbed
Ila Mitra's ancestral house at Bhagutia village in Shailakupa in ruins, being grabbed.Photo: STAR
The sixth death anniversary of firebrand peasant leader Ila Mitra who led the famous tebhagha movement in the region during British rule passed yesterday silently, unnoticed. No political party, leftist or rightist, took any programme to remember the leader who underwent severe torture during the Pakistani period for her leading role to protest interest of peasants in south-western region in the then East Pakistan. Her parental house at Bagutia village in Shailkupa upazila, 40 away from Jhenidah district town is now in ruins and partly occupied by othersa and her lands grabbed. Ela Mitra was born in October, 18, 1895. She was born and brought up in Calcutta as her father Nagendranath was a service holder there. Now, most people in the area are not aware about this aristocratic lady who sacrificed her life for the downtrodden. Asked abiut her house, some villagers said they only know that this house belonged to a 'rebel person'. Visiting the house of Ela Mitra yesterday, this correspondent found sons of one Hazi Kiam Uddin living there. One of them, Ali Hossain, said they purchased seven acres of her land including this grand building. He does not know more than this. Rezaul Islam of Goahil village said, Ela- Mitra was a friend of farmers. The government should take step to preserve this invaluable asset, he said. Abdul Khalek Bagutia said, hundreds bighas of her ancestral land have been grabbed by people of the area. Contacted, Shailkupa Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mahmudul Hossain Khan said, no programme was held here on her death anniversary as she was not a citizen of Bangladesh.
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