More than 30 people including several freedom fighters were injured in a clash over a 'mass grave' of 1971 in Anwara yesterday. Muktijoddha Sangsad leaders of Anwara alleged locals hired by Nawab Khan, an alleged razakar, attacked them when they went to Mohalkhan Bazar to visit a piece of land. They claimed the land as a mass grave of the Liberation War.The razakars were collaborators with the Paks in 1971...
Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli Police Station Shahab Uddin said they had to fire 10-15 rounds of blank shots to quell the situation.
Abul Kashem, president of the Freedom Fighters Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, said Nawab Khan, managing director of Nawab & Co and a resident of North Bandar, has long been trying to "grab" the land. It is a Khas land and marked as the site of Bandar Graveyard, he claimed. Saiful Islam, brother-in-law of Nawab, refuted the allegations saying the villagers tried to protect the land from "land grabbers". He added Nawab bought the land from one engineer Malek 17 years ago. It is not a graveyard, he claimed. He however said if the government identifies the land as a mass grave they would donate it for a memorial.
ADC (Revenue) of Chittagong Zafar Alam told The Daily Star the government had earlier identified the land as Khas land and given it to the Korean EPZ. "Later, Nawab Ali filed a case with the court claiming him as the proprietor of the land. The court imposed an injunction on the land," he added.
Witnesses said around 100 people, mostly freedom fighters and Awami League leaders and activists from Anwara, gathered at the hilly site of Mohalkhan Bazar around 9:30am to attend a prescheduled programme for setting a memorial plaque there. State Minister for Liberation War affairs ABM Tazul Islam and local AL lawmaker Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury were scheduled to attend the programme. But they did not come as the programme was rescheduled for April 10, said organisers. Sources say the minister did not come as he was informed about the dispute centring the land.
In spite of the postponement, some of the organisers decided to visit the spot. As they along with some freedom fighters approached the site, some 200 villagers including a number of women from North Bandar village resisted them resulting in a clash.
Deputy Commander of Upazila Muktijoddha Sangsad Shah Alam said Pakistan army with the help of local collaborators killed about 156 people including freedom fighters and their relatives in this area. Police arrested four people in this connection. A huge number of police were deployed.