Civil society frustrated over no government programme on Mujibnagar Day

Civil society representatives have expressed deep disappointment and frustration over the absence of any government minister or official paying homage at Mujibnagar on Mujibnagar Day. They made these remarks at a press conference held at the Juhur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club on Tuesday, April 21.

The press conference was organised to share experiences following a visit to Mujibnagar on April 17, where the delegation paid tribute by placing flowers at the memorial.

Freedom fighter and journalist Abu Saeed Khan presented the keynote address. He recalled that on April 17, 1971, members of the first Bangladesh government's cabinet took their oath at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur in the presence of domestic and international journalists. The location was renamed Mujibnagar and declared the capital of Bangladesh, which remained the proclaimed capital until December 16.

Abu Saeed Khan further stated that the government issued no directives for observing the day this year. Apart from local freedom fighters and a few leftist organisations, no one paid tribute. He also noted that masked miscreants vandalised the Mujibnagar complex during the July mass uprising, destroying several sculptures, yet the interim government remained inactive and took no legal action against the attackers.

Former general secretary of CPB, Ruhin Hossain Prince, said approximately 300 sculptures have been destroyed, including those of the four national leaders, the depiction of Operation Searchlight, and the signature site. Bhasad's Joint General Secretary Rakejuzzaman Ratan said Mujibnagar is the nation's pride and heritage, calling for public resistance against those trying to erase this memory.

The press conference placed five demands before the BNP-led government: reconstruction of damaged Liberation War memorials across the country including the Mujibnagar Memorial Complex; arrest and trial of the attackers; official observance of Mujibnagar Day; swift implementation of the memorial museum construction; and inclusion of an impartial history of the Liberation War in textbooks.