The three-storied Muktijoddha Complex building, built at a cost of two and a half crores in Shailkupa Upazila of Jhenaidah, was inaugurated about five years ago but is still lying unfunctional.
A faction of the freedom fighters led by ex-commander Manwar Hossin Malita sometimes attends in the old building of the Muktijoddha Sangshad at Kabirpur. On the other hand, another major faction led by ex-commander Rahmat Ali, Mantu, Lutfar Rahman Tulu, and deputy commander Israil Hossain refrains from attending there due to conflict among the leaders. Want of election of the sangshad was also blamed for the situation, said the freedom fighters.
A number of Freedom Fighters (FFs) said the local government engineering department (LGED) constructed the building on the Shailkupa-Khalkula road of Shailkupa municipality at a cost of Tk 2.5 crore. It was inaugurated by AKM Mojammel Haque, the then minister for the liberation affairs ministry, in 2019. The aim of the construction of the building was to accommodate a meeting room, office, library, room for the commander, and a number of rooms for commercial purposes so that the command could meet up their daily expenses for their wellbeing.
During a visit, the Bangladesh Post correspondent witnessed that the windows of the building were decaying gradually due to rust, a number of glasses were broken anyhow, and the furniture was almost de-shaped for lack of care for years together.
The FFS said they could not attend the office even for a day as there was longtime conflict among the leaders. Ex-commander Manwar Hossain Malita was anyhow occupying the old office at Kabirpur, which was almost vacated by a former Upazila Nirbahi officer (UNO), also the acting commander of the Muktijoddha Sangsad. Some of them with agitation said they could not enter their new building before their deaths, as each and every remaining freedom fighter is growing older faster.
When contacted, FF commander and ex-commander Rahmat Ali Mantu, another ex-commander, Manwar Hossain Malita and Lutfar Rahman Tulu, and deputy commander Israil Hossain said only the election was the means to solve the problems.
When contacted with Upazila Nirbahi Officer, also the acting commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad of Shailkupa upazila, Snigdha Das said that she was not informed about holding any elections of the command. Some of the heroic freedom fighters have met her recently. She is going to sit with them at an early date to resolve the crisis.
