Forty-eight years after independence, the government has decided to make a “comprehensive list” of anti-Liberation War elements, Razakars and  Al-Badrs. On earlier occasions, a number of such lists were prepared by successive governments, but none tried to prepare a “district-wise” comprehensive list. Sources in the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs told The Independent that letters instructing the authorities to prepare the “district-wise” list have been sent to Deputy Commissioners of each district.

Different platforms of freedom fighters and their families have raised their voice to make sons and daughters ineligible for government jobs and politics. They said, to do so, the government must have a “comprehensive” and “authentic” list. Liberation War affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque recently told a programme that the Awami League government of 1996-2001 had prepared a list of Razakars and Al-Badrs and had that list in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“People who were in power for a long time should answer why the list of collaborators was not prepared earlier. Tthere was a list of Razakars with the Home Ministry, but it went missing when [Motiur Rahman] Nizami and [Ali Ahsan Mohammad] Mojahid were made cabinet members,” he said.

Sources in the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs said that after independence, the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman enacted the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order 1972 to try those who abetted the Pakistan forces in killing Bengalis.

The government arrested 37,471 collaborators under the 1972 order until November 30, 1973. However, a general amnesty was declared for the collaborators in 1973. The general amnesty was, however, not applicable to those who had committed criminal offences like murder, rape and arson.

The 1972 order was repealed in 1975, which set free about 11,000 people in custody.

ASM Shamsul Arefin, who had published books carrying the names of 12,000 Razakers, said Pakistan had planned to recruit 50,000 Razkars, but managed to recruit about 35,000.

“It was targeted to recruit 11,000 to 15,000 AL Badr and Al Shams, but it is not known how many of them were recruited,” he said.

He said he had published the names of Razkars based on salary sheet with the police who had recruited Razakers. “However, there should be an official list of local collaborators. I am lauding the government that an attempt is being made to prepare it,” he added.