The government is going to build a war memorial monument named “Pajorer Bandhan” in Ashuganj, Brahmanbaria to the memories of the 1,600 martyred Indian armed force members during the Liberation War.
The place chosen is the site of the battle of Bhairab-Ashuganj in November 1971 in which around 100 Indian soldiers were killed, official sources said.
An official of the Liberation War Ministry said the monument will be built soon as there is pressure from the government high-up.
The implementation of the project was delayed recently when the Liberation War Affairs Minister asked to include a rest house in the monument’s design, the official said.
“Around 100 of the 1,600 martyred Mitro Bahini (Allied forces) officials and soldiers were killed during a battle in Ashuganj in the last week of November 1971. That’s why the ministry has decided to build the war monument there,” Liberation War Affairs Secretary MA Hannan told the Dhaka Tribune.
The Department of Architecture at a recent inter-ministerial meeting presented the design, structure and beautification plans of the monument to the ministry, he said.
“The department’s presentation did not include open space, car parking, sitting place for visitors, food court and amusement park for children which are essential for the project,” MA Hannan said.
The secretary said the size of the project was still undecided but funds would be made available when required.
Liberation War Minister A KM Muzzamul Haque, the secretary and senior officials from several government agencies recently visited the site of “Pajorer Bandhan” in Ashuganj.
Freedom fighter Bir Protik Shahzaman Majumdar in his memoir of the 1971 Liberation War The Battle of Ashuganj describes how Indian army officers and soldiers fell in the battle.
“In the battle of Ashuganj the three Indian PT-76 tanks were hit point blank by Pakistani armed forces’ 106 mm anti-tank armour–piercing shells. At the same time, the entire battle field erupted in all sorts of small arms fire and the 18 Rajput Regiment suffered severe injuries of about a whole company (120 people), out of which 39 were dead. Almost everybody of 18 Rajput and 10 Bihar Regiment were flat on the ground, dead, injured,or trying to shield themselves from the murderous fire,” the book reads.
