Tripura government removes 1971 martyrs memorial in Agartala, faces criticism

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Agartala: The removal of the “column of martyrs” in memory of those who lost their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War, erected after 1971 in Agartala, sparked reactions in a cross section of society in Tripura as well. than in Bangladesh.

Every year since the column was erected, the state government and the Indian military have paid floral tributes to the martyrs on January 26 and August 15.

But the current BJP-led Tripura government has overthrown the column and moved two tanks that were seized by the Indian military during the war to a new location. The government has announced that it will soon begin construction of a modern sculpture where the column was located.

This is done as part of the Agartala Smart City Limited project for the beautification of the city.

In a joint statement, writers, Bangladeshi Mukti Bahinis (freedom fighters) and professors at Bangladeshi universities said that the support of the Indian people and Tripura for the 1971 liberation war was integral to the history of the independence of Bangladesh.

The 12-meter-high Martyrs Memorial at the Chaumohani Post Office in the center of Agartala, the capital of Tripura, is one of the most important monuments of the common liberation aspirations and friendship of the peoples of the India and Bangladesh… We learned in the media that this monument was recently abolished (sic). We are saddened by the removal of the monument linked to history. We call on the Indian authorities to restore the monument to its rightful place and to preserve the monuments symbolic of the relations between the peoples of the two countries, the statement said.

On November 16 last year, nearly five decades after the 1971 Liberation War, a tank and artillery cannon were transferred from the Chowmuhani Post Office to the Albert Ekka War Memorial Park, which is under construction. construction in the Lichu Bagan region about five km from Agartala. city.

The Tripura Cultural Coordination Center strongly protested against the removal of the column. The group demanded the immediate restoration of the memorial, saying it hopes the government will atone for the destruction of history by playing a positive role in meeting that demand.

Tripura Pradesh congressional committee vice chairman Tapas Dey called the move heinous work and claimed that the mindset of the BJP-led government was against the liberation movement as there was no no contribution.

This is unjustified, in order to slander the martyrs and the people of the state who contributed to the liberation movement. Moreover, they try to deceive people about the contribution of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Congress in 1971. If they do so for embellishment purposes, the memorial could easily have been kept intact at the current location. Unfortunately, they did not discuss with any other political party and suddenly broke the column. Their mentality is against the movement because they did not contribute to it, and it is very unfortunate that this government has done such a heinous job, said Dey.

A tank was moved from the Chowmuhami Post Office to the Albert Ekka Memorial Park. Photo: author provided

Tripura Left Front committee chairman Bijan Dhar also condemned the act: they erase history. It represented the feeling of the people and it was not done. We condemned it and protested.

Reacting to the question, BJP spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty told The Wire that the current space where the memorial has been installed is very small and is not being maintained properly.

Sainik’s board has also written so many times to maintain it properly and this is the reason why it was transferred to Albert Ekka Memorial Park to maintain it properly, with honor and dignity. Our government is trying to protect these war memorials. Sainik’s board is also concerned about the issue, ”said Chakraborty.

Veteran journalist Manas Paul said that this martyr column belonged to the Indian army and the place allocated to it was very small.

During the 1971 war there was a lot of space in Agartala. The population was small and there was hardly any construction. This time the memorial was installed in the center of the city of Agartala. But now the city has started to develop, resulting in a lack of space. Sainik’s board of directors has repeatedly requested that the memorial be moved to a designated area. The current location does not allow people to go inside and see the tank and artillery or read its history. A dedicated war memorial is being built, ”Paul told The Wire, adding that it would help people learn more about the war.

However, no reaction came from the Sainik Council in Tripura.

Workers removing the column of martyrs. Photo: author provided

Last year, when a tank and an artillery gun were moved, West District Magistrate Shailes K. Yadav issued a statement on the government’s plans. It was a long-standing request by the Indian Army to make a large war memorial combining these two war memorials. The Army and Sainik Board raised this issue to Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb when he came to power in 2018. The project was taken over as part of the Smart City Mission after an open tender at the cost of Rs 4.83 crore, the statement said.

He said the Albert Ekka war memorial is already under construction in Lichu Bagan. The replica of the 40-foot victory pillar existing at the post office, Chowmuhani was built here.

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