Freedom fighters perplexed over razakars' list

Both Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty and his father were freedom fighters, with the latter embracing martyrdom during the liberation war. However, the new list of razakars (war collaborators) contains the name of Tapan, previously gazetted as a freedom fighter from Barishal by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, and his mother.

"What a shame and pain! What is the meaning of being alive after this?" Tapan wondered while speaking to Prothom Alo.

"The state must withdraw the list and apologise. Certainly there is a conspiracy going on," he observed.

Not only Tapan, but also 28 others from the minority community, including five women, in Barishal were included in the new list of razakars. Five Muslim women have been included in the list, too.

The list also includes Abdul Hai Serniabat, brother in law of Bangabandhu Shekih Mujibur Rahman and elder brother of former agriculture minister, Abdur Rab Sernaibat. Shaheed Serniabat, son of Abdul Hai Serniabat, was killed along with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the fateful night of 15 August in 1975.

Freedom fighters at Barishal condemned the list that has stirred debate among common people in the district.

Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty's father Sudhir Kumar Chakrabarty was killed by the occupation forces of Pakistan. Now Sudhir's deceased wife Usha Rani Chakrabarty has been included in the list. Regarding a case number that mentioned the names of Tapan and his mother, he says, "I never heard of such cases. I cannot understand who filed the case," he said.

Tapan Chakrabarty's daughter physician Manisha Chakrabarty was a mayor candidate in the last Barishal City Corporation election. She is a member secretary of Barishal district BSD (Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal). Tapan became angry while delivering a speech at a gathering in Barishal on Tuesday.

The 29 people from the Hindu minority community named in the list are Piary Lal Gain, Montu Chandra Das, Jitendra Nath Dutta, Mihir Lal Dutta, Debendra Bijoy Mukherjee, Jagadhish Chandra Mukherjee, Haripada Dey, Amrit Lal Ghosh, Narendra Nath Majumder, Shishir Kumar Mukherjee, Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty, DN Mandal, Kalipada Banerjee, Rana Ghosh, Sudan Mistree, Arun Mistree, Bimal Krishna Paul, Upendra Nath Basu, Radhanta Das, Hare Krishna Paul, Sukumar Chandra Saha, Jaladhar Halder, Anil Kumar Karmakar, Ras Mohon Biswas, Usha Rani Chakrabarty, Kanak Prova Majumder, Bijoya Bala Das, Ava Rani Das and Parul Bala Karmakar.

The five Muslim women are Rabeya Begum, Nurjahan Begum, Begum Sufia Rahman, Delwari Begum and Matia Rahman.

Freedom fighter Mihir Lal Dutta and his father Jitendra Lal Dutta are in the list. Mihir is a language movement veteran and a war-maimed freedom fighter who was detained by the Pakistan forces during the war after being shot. His father Jitendra and brother Subir Dutta were shot to death.

"Mihir Dutta had been in Jashore prison with me after being detained by the Pakistan forces," AMG Kabir, another war-maimed freedom fighter, said.

Mihir Dutta's son Shuvabrata Dutta told Prothom Alo, "My father is a freedom father, my grandfather and uncle were myrtyred in the war. I don't get it how their names appear in the list of razakars."

“My father filed a case against one under the war crimes tribunal. The case in still under trial and the name of that person has not been included in the razakars' list," he added.

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal staged a demonstration in Barishal condemning the razakars' list. A procession was brought out in the town on Tuesday morning. A copy of the list was set ablaze in the protests.

"We're taken aback and ashamed," Bir Pratik Mohiuddin Manik, former deputy commander of Barishal Mukijoddha Command, said.

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo's print edition, has been rewritten here in English by Nusrat Nowrin.