Preserving war history

The state is constitutionally bound to protect and maintain the historic important places related to the Liberation War

The Liberation War in 1971 is undoubtedly the most glorious event in the aeons of the Bengali nation. Unfortunately many among the current generation are not fully aware of the various major incidents of the nine-month-long war which claimed three million lives. Few would be able to name the places where the major battles of the war took place.

So it is good to note that Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of Khulna has taken initiatives to preserve the historical places of the Liberation War located in Khulna division as well as to establish an independence war museum. The government has earlier built 65 Muktijuddha Smriti Stambho (Liberation War Memorial Monument) at 36 upazilas at different parts of the country. And it plans to preserve 360 historical places of the Liberation War.  We appreciate the initiative of the government. This will go a long way in imbuing the new generation with the spirit of the Liberation War. The Liberation War is a landmark in our national life. And so preserving relics and sites of the war is our sacred duty.

The state is constitutionally bound to protect and maintain the historically important places related to the Liberation War but it is regretful that most of the earlier governments failed to take any step to preserve them.

According to the Antiquities Act (Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904), the department can consider enlisting a historic or archaeological site only if it is 100 years old. However, the department should not be restricted by the law when it comes to preservation of the sites related to the Liberation War that are still less than 50 years old. If we wait 100 years for a place to be declared an archaeologically protected site, it will be too late to preserve many priceless sites and relics of Liberation War.

We must remember that preserving these sites is not just about paying respect to the courageous freedom fighters. This is also important for conducting research on the history of the Liberation War, deepening our understanding of mass violence and resistance during wartimes. As such, the authorities must take steps to preserve these sites and removing the establishments that have sprung up there due to the consistent negligence of concerned authorities.

 

Preserving war history

The state is constitutionally bound to protect and maintain the historic important places related to the Liberation War

The Liberation War in 1971 is undoubtedly the most glorious event in the aeons of the Bengali nation. Unfortunately many among the current generation are not fully aware of the various major incidents of the nine-month-long war which claimed three million lives. Few would be able to name the places where the major battles of the war took place. So it is good to note that Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of Khulna has taken initiatives to preserve the historical places of the Liberation War located in Khulna division as well as to establish an independence war museum. The government has earlier built 65 Muktijuddha Smriti Stambho (Liberation War Memorial Monument) at 36 upazilas at different parts of the country. And it plans to preserve 360 historical places of the Liberation War. We appreciate the initiative of the government. This will go a long way in imbuing the new generation with the spirit of the Liberation War. The Liberation War is a landmark in our national life. And so preserving relics and sites of the war is our sacred duty. The state is constitutionally bound to protect and maintain the historically important places related to the Liberation War but it is regretful that most of the earlier governments failed to take any step to preserve them. According to the Antiquities Act (Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904), the department can consider enlisting a historic or archaeological site only if it is 100 years old. However, the department should not be restricted by the law when it comes to preservation of the sites related to the Liberation War that are still less than 50 years old. If we wait 100 years for a place to be declared an archaeologically protected site, it will be too late to preserve many priceless sites and relics of Liberation War. We must remember that preserving these sites is not just about paying respect to the courageous freedom fighters. This is also important for conducting research on the history of the Liberation War, deepening our understanding of mass violence and resistance during wartimes. As such, the authorities must take steps to preserve these sites and removing the establishments that have sprung up there due to the consistent negligence of concerned authorities.