The letter began with ‘Dear Mili’ and ended with ‘Yours, Matiur/August 20, Friday, 1971’.
Many had shared the moving letter but removed it after learning of it dubious authenticity.
One of them is journalist Manas Ghosh. He posted a Facebook status recently, bringing the mischief to light.
He wrote in the post: “I read the letter two years ago in Facebook. I know Mili Rahman for many years. I took the matter with her. She called it a fake letter. Matiur is our hero. I hope those who did this will refrain from this disinformation campaign. We who shared it without knowing its authenticity should be more watchful in future. Mili Rahman wants the fake letter be removed from facebook.”
A Facebook user named Rudra Saiful shared a video interview of Mili Rahman. In that interview, too, she had said the letter was fake.
The Pakistani Army had taken away all her personal letters kept in a file when they raided their house in Pakistan.
She stressed that, on August 20, 1971, the day the letter was purportedly written, her husband was with her at home. So it is absurd that Matiur wrote her a letter that day.
She said on august 20,1971, Matiur went to air base and made an abortive attempt to join Bangladesh’s liberation war by stealing a jet trainer.