Who to look after 'Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum'?

The construction of the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum is yet to be completed although it has been seven years since its inauguration.

The authorities concerned even failed to fix a committee to look after the museum.

Seeking anonymity, an official of old Dhaka Central Jail said, “The National Museum authorities are in charge of the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum. We are taking care of its security only.”

In response to questions regarding maintenance budget and absence of a regular caretaker, the official advised the reporter to talk to the National Museum authorities in this regard.

According to the official, the National Museums director Swapan Kumar Biswas is in-charge of the maintenance of the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum. But Swapan was shocked to learn this.

According to Swapan, the decision to hand over the responsibility of maintenance of the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum to the National Museum authorities has not been implemented.

There is no progress except the fact that a letter was issued in this regard in 2013, he added.

Bangladesh National Museum director general Faizul Latif Chowdhury said they could not even prepare any inventory on the objects of the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum as they do not have any authority over it.

In 2010, prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the sculptures of four national leaders - Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamaruzzaman - in front of the museum building inside then Dhaka Central Jail.

In 2016, the authorities said it would open the jail memorial museums on Bangabandhu and four national leaders for the visitors after shifting the Dhaka Central Jail to Keraniganj in Gazipur.

The central jail was shifted to Keraniganj in June of 2016 but the memorial museums have not been opened.

Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed’s daughter MP Simeen Hussain Rimi, AHM Qamaruzzaman’s daughter Raushan Akhter Rumi and Captain M Mansur Ali’s son Rezaul Karim Reza visited the Four National Leaders Jail Memorial Museum on Thursday afternoon.

They observed a mango tree where the killers and jail high-ups waited before killing the four leaders has not been not marked.

The sons and daughters of the martyrs also observed invasive plants encroached upon the sculptures at the museum. The names on the plaques are also intelligible, whereas, it is a custom to keep the front areas of sculptures clean.

Simeen Hossain Rimi told Prothom Alo, “There were four plants from deserts [for beautification of the area]. One of those is on the verge of death due to lack of care.”

“We talked to the deputy jailer. He said he will ask the people concerned to take care of the trees and plants,” Rimi added.

Responding to a question, the lawmaker said the museum should be opened to all immediately instead of waiting for the implementation of the master plan on the 36-acre Dhaka Central Jail.

The four leaders had played a key role in forming the Mujibnagar government in exile that led the liberation war of 1971.

Syed Nazrul Islam was the acting president, Tajuddin Ahmad prime minister, Mansur Ali finance minister and AHM Qamruzzaman was the home, relief and rehabilitation minister of Mujibnagar government.

They were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail on 3 November in 1975.

*This piece, originally published in the print edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza.