S A Shofiee, Sylhet

In the great liberation war of 1971, the memorials of the brave martyrs are disappearing from Biyanibazar due to lack of preservation.

There is fear that the history of heroism and sacrifice of martyrs will disappear. Martyr's family members claim that if these structures are preserved by the government, the new generation will know the history of freedom.

Even after so many years of independence, many places including slaughterhouses, mass graves, torture cells are lying neglected in Biyanibazar along with various memorials of the liberation war. Most of these historical places have no way for the young generation to know if a local elder does not show them! There is disagreement about some places, and no one remembers many places correctly. A few monuments were built in Biyanibazar to commemorate the glory and martyrs of Bengalis in the Great War of Liberation. But due to lack of care and maintenance, most of these pillars built to protect the memory of the martyrs are losing their dignity.

In Biyanibazar Upazila, which is haunted by the memories of the liberation war, the Kanthaltala slaughterhouse, which bears witness to the tragic memories of the war, is lying in neglect. From a distance, it looks like a half-built pillar or foundation stone of a building. Toilets, sewage drains, roads and government buildings are nearby.

There is no way to know that this is a slaughterhouse without reading the inscription on the plaque. During the liberation war, one of the signs of the brutality of the Pak forces is the Kanthaltala slaughterhouse in Biyanibazar Upazila Complex. Hundreds of dead bodies, human skeletons were recovered from this place after independence. From the month of August during the liberation war till the moment of independence, the Pakistani army with the help of local razakars captured the freedom fighters, their relatives and innocent people and carried out massacres. Freedom seekers, innocent people who were captured from different places were killed here indiscriminately. Among them is Shahid Kamar Uddin, the only expatriate baul artist of the country. Many of those captured were forced to dig their own graves, survivors said.

A witness of brutal brutality, the slaughterhouse has upazila rural development buildings, latrines and poimission lines. However, after the war, buildings and toilets have been built in this place without any memorials. After many efforts, a memorial plaque has been erected here, but it remains hidden from the public eye. The present generation is far from realizing the historical importance of this place, they don't even know what happened here. When asked about Kanthaltala Slaughterhouse, some people who pass by this place almost regularly, they could not even tell its location.

It is known that after the establishment of Biyanibazar upazila in 1984 during Ershad Sarkale period, the rural development building (on the slaughter land) was built in 1986. Following the request of the locals, on December 16, 1993, Tatkalinan Upazila Nirbahi Officer Muktijoddha Afzalur Rahman built a memorial plaque at this slaughterhouse in Kanthaltala. On the plaque it is written - 'Pak army has captured and killed many unknown people here.'

Dakbanglo is a place where the memory of Biyanibazar is intertwined during the liberation war. The first batch of freedom fighters of Biyanibazar left from this place, and the kitchen of Dak Bungalow was the torture cell of the Pak forces. At the beginning of April, 40 young men were read the oath on the hill of Sauz Dakbanglo before training the first group of 40 people who were going to participate in the liberation war from Biyanibazar. At that time, the people present also put their hands on the ground and took an oath. During the stay of Pak army in Biyanibazar, this post bungalow became the main hideout of their misdeeds.

Dak Bungalow was a camp of Pak Army. Camp Chief Captain Iftekhar Hossain Gandal stayed here. Women were brought here from different places to satisfy the lust of Gandal. The meeting of the Shura was held in the Majlis of the Peace Committee, spread out on mats in the courtyard of the bungalow. There were plans for murder, looting, arson and rape. And before the murder, unspeakable torture was carried out by hanging people upside down from the branches of the kathal tree in the courtyard of the post office bungalow and from the ropes of the kitchen.

Atiq Uddin, a brave freedom fighter, said that we were organized and trained by Biyanibazar police station commander Kazi Alauddin. Dak bungalow and Rasui Ghar are priceless memories of our liberation war. This place should be properly preserved and its historical importance and brutality of Pak Army should be recorded in a visible way. In this way future generations will know the true history of our liberation war.

Although the torture cell of Sarpar Primary School, a memorial of the 1971 freedom struggle, has been converted into a memorial in East Muriya of Muriya Union of Biyanibazar Upazila, the mass grave in Nayagram area is still neglected and unprotected.

Locals said that in 1971, the only frontal battle of freedom fighters with Pak forces of Biyanibazar upazila was in East Muriya area. After expelling the freedom fighters, the Pakistani invaders occupied the East Muriya area. With the help of local razakars, freedom fighters were brought to Sarpar primary school and tortured. The bodies of those who died due to torture and some others were brought to the Char of Sunai river near the current BGB camp in Nayagram and given mass graves.

At a place called Trimukhi in Bairagir of the upazila, the 'Shaheed Jamal Smriti Stambha' was built to protect the memory of the local freedom fighter Shaheed Jamal immediately after the liberation war. This is the first monument built in Biyanibazar. An organization named Shaheed Jamal Smriti Sangsad was also formed. But this pillar could not survive in independent country. A drink-cigarette shop has been built next to the pillar. And the pillar remains hidden in the crowd of these mobile shops.

During the war of liberation, 12 members of the Ghosh family of Supatla village were killed by Pak invaders and their local allies at Radhu Tila (now known as Shaheed Tila) of the upazila. It was here that freedom fighter Siraj Uddin, father and brother of former administrator of Bianibazar municipality Tafjjul Hossain were killed. Besides, some others were killed and buried here. A memorial was established at Radhu Tila after independence. Mohammad Zakir Hossain, the son of the martyr's family, said that the memorial plaques of his father and brother, who were killed by the Pakistanis, have been constructed here.

This pillar was built in memory of Freedom Medalist Philosopher Martyr Intellectual Dr. Govinda Chandra Dev (GC Dev) at his own grandson's house in Lauta village of the upazila. But due to lack of maintenance it is also dilapidated. There are many complications with his house. The house is lying vacant due to the negligence of the local administration. Apart from offering floral tributes at the GC Dev pillar on Intellectuals' Day, no program is seen here on other days of the year.

Besides, the mass graves of Charkhai Gadarbazar and Muria of Biyanibazar upazila have disappeared. The massacres of places like Dubag, Sheola and Alinagar are now in the stories of elders. Most are unrecognizable unless a local elder points them out. There is disagreement about which places and many places no one remembers correctly. No one is considering bringing them to the public!

Veteran freedom fighter MA Kadir, former commander of Biyanibazar Upazila Freedom Fighters Command said, Radhu Tilla, Kanthaltala slaughterhouse and torture cell of Sarpar school have been preserved but still many memorials of liberation war remain unprotected. He said that not only the state initiative, but also the initiative of individuals or social organizations should come forward to preserve these monuments.