Mass graves in Pabna remain neglected, poorly maintained
L-R: Mass graves of Liberation War martyrs at Tebunia and Nazirpur in Pabna Sadar upazila remain without any memorial. The memorial at Atghoria mass grave remains incomplete while the memorials at Dhulauri and Dab Bagan mass graves show signs of all neglect.Photo: STAR
The freedom fighters of Pabna district have demanded steps for proper maintenance of 27 identified mass graves in the district where Liberation War martyrs were buried. Most of the mass graves are without any memorial while the memorials at a few places are lying neglected, said leaders of Pabna district unit Muktijoddha Sangsad in a proposal submitted to the Liberation War Ministry last week. They demanded building memorials at the mass graves for keeping the memory of the heroic sons of the soil alive in the mind of future generations. Thousands of people including freedom fighters who were martyred at the hands of Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators during the Liberation War were buried at these spots but the mass graves have still remaining neglected. “Twenty-seven mass graves have been identified following information from the freedom fighters and locals. We are trying to detect all the unidentified mass graves in the district,” said Md Abdul Baten, the deputy commander of Pabna district unit Muktijodhha Sangsad. According to the list of Muktijoddhha Sangsad, there are five mass graves in Pabna Sadar upazila, eight in Ishwardi upazila, four each in Faridpur, Sujanagar and Santhia upazilas and one each in Bera and Atghoria upazilas. “Most of the mass graves around the district are lying uncared. Due to lack of maintenance, some of the identified mass graves give the look of abandoned places,” said Habibur Rahman Habib, commander of Pabna district unit of Muktijoddhha Sangsad. No memorial have been built in Nazirpur mass grave, Nurpur Power Station mass grave near a torture camp of the Pakistan army, Tebunia mass grave, Kunchiamora mass grave and Gafuriabad mass grave in Pabna Sadar upazila. In last year, Pabna Zila Parishad has built a memorial at Demra mass grave in Faridpur upazila. Over 900 people were martyred at Demra in a day during the Liberation War. But there is hardly any sign to identify three other mass graves at Chakchakia, Gopal Nagar and Hadol in the upazila. Memorial at Bagshipara mass grave in Atghoria upazila has remained incomplete. Khanpura mass grave in Bera upazila give the impression of an abandoned place. In Sujanagar upazila, mass graves at Satbaria, Shamnagar, Naruhati and Gupinathpur are lying neglected, without memorial of any kind. In Santhia upazila, memorials at Dab Bagan mass grave and Dhulauri mass grave lack proper maintenance while two other mass graves at Baushgari and Karamja have remained without any memorial. The mass grave adjacent to Ishwardi Press Club, three mass graves at Fotemohhamadpur village, loco shed pump house mass grave, Baghail Khanpara mass grave, Pakshi Railway mass grave and Pakshi Jhautala mass grave have been detected recently. "In last week, we submitted the list of the mass graves to the Liberation War Ministry through the district administration, urging the government to take step to establish memorials in the mass graves and maintain them properly," Pabna district unit Muktijodhha Sangsad Commander Md Habibur Rahman Habib said.
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