Most Lalmonirhat mass graves of '71 about to 'disappear'
Poor maintenance for years blamed
There are tombs but nobody can say where the mass graves are. These tombs at Gokunda village in Lalmonirhat Sadar were hurriedly white washed just a few days ahead of the Victory Day.Photo: STAR
The mass graves of liberation war martyrs in different upazilas of the district have started to almost 'disappear' due to lack of proper steps to preserve them. More than 600 people including women and children were brutally killed by Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators near the Lalmonirhat railway station (now known as Railway rickshaw stand) in the town. After over three decades of country's independence an initiative was taken by the Zila Parishad in 2005 to build a monument in remembrance of the war heroes but was never implemented for reasons unknown. The places where the mass graves were found are New Colony, Store Para, Stadium Para, Mission Para, Up-yard Colony,Gokunda Down-yard Colony under Lalmonirhat municipality in Sadar upazila, Swarnamoti Railway Bridge, Station Para under Aditmari upazila, Dalogram, Tusbhandar, Votmari, Kakina under Kaliganj upazila, and Barokhata, Dawabari, Daliya under Hatibandha upazila, according to the Lalmonirhat district freedom fighters. Freedom fighters of the district said a large number of people were detained and shot to death by the Pakistan occupation forces at Velabari and Durgapur villages under Aditmari upazila when they were trying to flee their motherland for fear of life. Freedom fighter Abu Bakkor Siddique told this correspondent that when Lalmonirhat district council a few years ago took up a plan to build monuments in those places the then government did not come forward to implement the plan. "The freedom fighters of the district contacted the authorities concerned to build a monument in remembrance of the martyrs and war heroes, but they are yet to get any response for unknown reason," he said. Apart from people buried in the mass graves about 350 others, including women and children, were killed at Barokhata village under Hatibandha upazila in 1971 when they were heading for India to take shelter. District commander of Muktijoddha Parishad Yusuf Ali urged the government to take steps to preserve the memories of the liberation war before being lost into forgotten past. While visiting a few spots in Sadar upazila days before the Victory Day, it was found that the tombs on the mass graves were hurriedly white washed. "This is done every year ahead of the Victory Day", said a local. "But the mass graves are gradually disappearing for lack of preserving the areas properly", he added.
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