Freedom fighter, martyr’s mother on collaborators’ list

Barishal freedom fighter Tapan Chakraborty, who receives allowance, and his mother and Usha Chakraborty, also wife of a martyred of the War of Independence, are on the list of collaborators published by the liberation war affairs ministry on Sunday.

The ministry published on its website the partial list of 10,789 collaborators who aided the Pakistani occupation military during the 1971 War of Independence.

Civil society and cultural activists in Barishal were aggrieved at the incident and demanded investigation and punishment of the people concerned.

Tapan’s daughter Manisha Chakraborty said that the list of 107 Razakars in Barishal placed Usha in 45th and Tapan in 63th number positions.

Manisha, also member secretary of Bangladesh Socialist Party Barishal district unit who contested the latest mayoral election in Barishal, said that due to her political ideology the ruling Awami League put her father and grandmother on the list.

Barishal Muktijoddha Command former deputy commander Mohiuddin Manik Bir Pratik protested against the incident and demanded immediate correction of the list as he knew Tapan was a freedom fighter.

‘I am aggrieved, speechless,’ he said.

Mihir Lal Dutta, a renowned Language Movement activist, died on January 20, 2007.

He sustained bullet wounds in the abdomen during the war. His father and a brother were also martyred in the war.

His son Shuvabrata Dutta vented anger as Mihir Lal was put on the list of Razakars and demanded punishment of those involved in preparing the list.

Freedom fighter MG Vulu said that it was cruel misfortune for a freedom fighter to see his name on the list of Razakars.

Barishal deputy commissioner SM Ajior Rahman said that his office did not prepare the list but he heard the incident.

He said that they would look into the matter after getting the list.

Source: New Age.