Bringing the criminals to justice
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Quazi Faruque Ahmed
This is an appeal to the teachers and all concerned with education, of all nations of the world through the good offices of the teachers and education staff organisations who represent them. The appeal is from more than half a million teachers and one fifth of a million employees of educational institutions in Bangladesh, the seventh largest populous country of the world.
This refers to the brutal killing of the highly reverend senior teachers, physicians, engineers, writers, poets, singers and artists, along with mass exodus of ten million people, rape and violation of one fifth of a million women. The atrocities knew no bounds. The torch bearers of liberation, free thinking and conscience keepers were brought out from their residences blind folded, their eyes gouged out and body mutilated before killing them. A section of civilian collaborators of the Pakistan military junta committed this crime against humanity in the name of religion and in support of the occupation forces.
But in spite of such barbaric, beastly acts, the offenders could remain untouched and were not brought to the arena of justice for long 38 years after the independence of Bangladesh. However, after the punishment of the killers of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, through due process of law recently, the present government has initiated trial of the killers of teachers and members of the intelligentsia during the war of liberation in 1971.
It may be mentioned here that the teachers and members of the intelligentsia played a vital role in the early fifties when the rulers of Pakistan denied due recognition of Bengali, the language spoken by its majority people and imposed ban on free flow of cultural activities including the practice of Tagore song. They ignited in the hearts of the young generation in particular and people in general, the indomitable spirit of freedom from all sorts of repression, disparity and injustices, who were subjugated under the successive military juntas and colonial rulers in the then eastern part of Pakistan for about three decades. This culminated in the early seventies through a series of struggles and action programmes of teachers and cultural activists when political leadership moved in their own direction as well. The people of Bangladesh naturally feel very proud of these illustrious sons and daughters of their soil and keep them in high esteem.
The teachers who were killed brutally in 1971 taught many of us during our student life. Their contributions in the field of teaching, art, literature, economy and awareness building against all forms of subjugation, repression and backwardness were immense. They lived simple life, filled with dedication and unflinching devotion to their profession and commitment to their people and humanity.
In the backdrop of the fact stated above, teachers, employees of educational institutions and all saner thinking people of Bangladesh, who believe in civility, human values, free thinking and justice, earnestly demand that the killers and the offenders against humanity be taken to task and not allowed to evade process of justice under any pretext.
Under the circumstances, more than half a million teachers and educational institution employees of Bangladesh appeal to the world teaching community for moral support in the trial of the killers of the teachers, members of the intelligentsia, children, female and male at large during the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. They sincerely urge upon all the brothers and sisters in teaching profession and engaged in activities in any form in education, along with all believers in freedom, free thinking, human rights and human dignity, to support the cause of trial of the killers and take appropriate stand in favour of justice and humanity, and sincerely expect that their respective governments will take a principled stand and play proper role in the comity of nations.*
* Appeal READ OUT IN the press conference on behalf of more than half a million teachers and educational institution employees of Bangladesh. organised by national front of teachers & employees (nfte) national press club, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 03 may 2010, 11 a.m. (The writer, Principal Quazi Faruque Ahmed, Chief Co-ordinator National Front of Teachers and Employees (NFTE), Bangladesh. He can be reached at e-mail: principalqfahmed@yahoo.com)
This is an appeal to the teachers and all concerned with education, of all nations of the world through the good offices of the teachers and education staff organisations who represent them. The appeal is from more than half a million teachers and one fifth of a million employees of educational institutions in Bangladesh, the seventh largest populous country of the world.
This refers to the brutal killing of the highly reverend senior teachers, physicians, engineers, writers, poets, singers and artists, along with mass exodus of ten million people, rape and violation of one fifth of a million women. The atrocities knew no bounds. The torch bearers of liberation, free thinking and conscience keepers were brought out from their residences blind folded, their eyes gouged out and body mutilated before killing them. A section of civilian collaborators of the Pakistan military junta committed this crime against humanity in the name of religion and in support of the occupation forces.
But in spite of such barbaric, beastly acts, the offenders could remain untouched and were not brought to the arena of justice for long 38 years after the independence of Bangladesh. However, after the punishment of the killers of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, through due process of law recently, the present government has initiated trial of the killers of teachers and members of the intelligentsia during the war of liberation in 1971.
It may be mentioned here that the teachers and members of the intelligentsia played a vital role in the early fifties when the rulers of Pakistan denied due recognition of Bengali, the language spoken by its majority people and imposed ban on free flow of cultural activities including the practice of Tagore song. They ignited in the hearts of the young generation in particular and people in general, the indomitable spirit of freedom from all sorts of repression, disparity and injustices, who were subjugated under the successive military juntas and colonial rulers in the then eastern part of Pakistan for about three decades. This culminated in the early seventies through a series of struggles and action programmes of teachers and cultural activists when political leadership moved in their own direction as well. The people of Bangladesh naturally feel very proud of these illustrious sons and daughters of their soil and keep them in high esteem.
The teachers who were killed brutally in 1971 taught many of us during our student life. Their contributions in the field of teaching, art, literature, economy and awareness building against all forms of subjugation, repression and backwardness were immense. They lived simple life, filled with dedication and unflinching devotion to their profession and commitment to their people and humanity.
In the backdrop of the fact stated above, teachers, employees of educational institutions and all saner thinking people of Bangladesh, who believe in civility, human values, free thinking and justice, earnestly demand that the killers and the offenders against humanity be taken to task and not allowed to evade process of justice under any pretext.
Under the circumstances, more than half a million teachers and educational institution employees of Bangladesh appeal to the world teaching community for moral support in the trial of the killers of the teachers, members of the intelligentsia, children, female and male at large during the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. They sincerely urge upon all the brothers and sisters in teaching profession and engaged in activities in any form in education, along with all believers in freedom, free thinking, human rights and human dignity, to support the cause of trial of the killers and take appropriate stand in favour of justice and humanity, and sincerely expect that their respective governments will take a principled stand and play proper role in the comity of nations.*
* Appeal READ OUT IN the press conference on behalf of more than half a million teachers and educational institution employees of Bangladesh. organised by national front of teachers & employees (nfte) national press club, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 03 may 2010, 11 a.m. (The writer, Principal Quazi Faruque Ahmed, Chief Co-ordinator National Front of Teachers and Employees (NFTE), Bangladesh. He can be reached at e-mail: principalqfahmed@yahoo.com)