Najma Begum

Village- Manik Kandi, Thana- Muksedpur, District- Gopalganj
Identity- Birangona and freedom-fighter

Najma used to be known as Kanon Banik. With the help of local razakaars, the Pakistani soldiers forcibly took her at the beginning of the Liberation war. She remained at the camp for almost two months after which the freedom-fighters got hold of the camp and released all the girls who were kept there. Kanon’s parents meanwhile left as refugees for India. She remained with the freedom-fighters. Her responsibilities included cooking for the camp, guarding the arms and ammunitions, etc. She also received arms training and participated in some of the operations.

After Bangladesh became an independent nation-state she returned home. However, her parents refused to take her back. Musharrof Sheikh, a freedom-fighter from the camp where she served married her .

Najma and Musharrof now live in a slum adjacent to Mirpur zoo. He is a local salesman and she works in a garment factory for an income of thirty taka daily. They have three sons and one daughter.

Halima Parveen

Village- Indra, Thana- Baghar Para, District- Jessore
Participation in the war: as a combatant

Freedom- fighter Halima’s household was attacked by the Razakaars during April 1971. Considering the fact that neither her house nor the village was safe for her anymore to live in she left along with two of her female friends (pls. see below) to join the freedom-fighters. She received combat training and fought in the war. She was captured while in the front line around June and spent six months in various camps.

She was first kept at a Razakaars camp where she was subjected to torture and abuse. After that she was taken to Jessore Cantoment camp where Halima had to undergo various kinds of torture including sexual slavery. She was nearly starved as the women in the camp were allowed food in every alternate day. Halima was also forced to dig the graves and bury the women who died in the camp because of the severity of torture.

She was rescued on 6 December 1971 and returned home. However, in a short while the Razakaars and collaborators of the Pakistani army were reinstated into powerful positions in her community. Halima’s parents sent her off to her uncle’s house in Jessore. She was unable to stay there for a longer period though and had to earn her living by doing certain menial tasks. She got a job as an ayah in the local hospital under the freedom-fighter quota in 1983 and got married to her cousin in 1984.

Halima has two children. Her youngest son has a medical condition and is slowly going blind. She is unable to afford his treatment.

Fatema Khatun

Village- Indra, Thana-Baghar Para, District- Jessore
Age in 1971: 18 years

Participation in the war: as a combatant.

Fatema was encouraged to fight in the front-line by Halima Parveen. While at battle she was captured by the enemy along with two other women combatants.

While in the camp (location not stated) a Razakaar assaulted her. She was taken to the Jessore Cantonment afterwards and remained in this camp for six months.

Fatema was detained in a tiny cell and was tortured day and night. She was scalded with cigarettes if she protested. There were times when as many as 7/8 soldiers raped her, while she was tied up. She became pregnant as a result of the rapes and gave birth to a still-born baby in the camp. She was deprived of food and was not allowed to bath while in captivity. She was nearly dead by the time she was rescued by the freedom-fighters on 6 December 1971.

In the aftermath of the war, Fatema was tormented by the local people and her family was ostracized by the community. Eventually, her mother sent her off to the city where she got married. Her husband divorced her after hearing gossips about her ordeal during the war. She was married off again and the second husband also left her.

Fatema has children from her marriages and struggles to meet mere necessities. She wants to educate her two sons who are still quite young.

Rokeya Khatun

Village- Malonchi, Thana: Baghar Para, District: Jessore
Participation in the war: as a combatant.

Captured while in combat along with Halima and Fatima. She was imprisoned in the camp for six months as well.

Soon after apprehension, she was tortured with bayonet. In a severe injured condition she was brought to the Jessore Cantonment camp and kept in a dark cell. During this time she was subjected to interrogation and torture including sexual abuse. She was rescued on 6 December 1971 by the freedom-fighters.

When she returned to her parents they wanted to marry her off. The shame and stigma attached with rape made the situation very difficult for her. Afterwards, she was married off to a middle-aged man who was the father of four children.

She now works as a maid in other peoples’ households. She has two daughters. Her contribution to the war has not been recognized in the last 32 years and she did not receive any sort of compensation from the government.

Jolekha Khatun

Village- Kamalnogor, District- Shatkhira
Identity: War widow

Jolekha and her husband Abdul Kader lived in a small hut in Kamalnogor with their nine children. Abdul Kader assisted the freedom-fighters during the war. His responsibilities included notifying the guerrilla fighters about the movement of the army and delivering arms and ammunition in various locations.

Seven or eight truckload of soldiers barricaded their house on Baishakh 7. They ransacked the whole house and eventually confiscated Abdul Kader’s walkie-talkie. The soldiers forced him out of the house and shot him. Jolekha fled with her nine children. However, fearing for their own safety her neighbors refused to offer her shelter. Meanwhile, she lost sight of her youngest daughter and was unable to track her down.

Currently, Jolekha leaves in a slum and lives on charity received from her local community.

Appeal for Jolekha in Bangla

Ameerjaan Bewa

Village- Kalakuma, Thana- Nalitabari, District- Sherpur
Identity- War widow

Ameerjaan’s husband Abbas Ali Sarkar, son Idris Ali and two daughters Feroza Khatin and Rasheda Khatun had been killed during 1971. The army and the Biharis captured the family while they were on the road to reach the Dalu refugee shelter in India. She survived as a refugee in India for a while and came back after the country was liberated.

Ameerjaan sold off her husband’s share of the land to support the family including her three remaining sons and one daughter. She applied for compensation to Muktyjodhya Kollyan Trust respectively in 1972, 1984 and 1995. However, no support was given other than two calves donated by the government.

Appeal for AmeerJan in Bangla

Shohorbanu

Village- Kalakuma, Thana- Nalitabari, District- Sherpur
Identity- War widow

She is Ameerjaan’s sister-in-law. Her husband Kalimuddin was killed by the Biharis during the war while attending a funeral in the neighboring village. She left along with her children for Trishal in Mymensingh to search for work. She worked as a maid and raised her children.

She has three sons and two daughters. Shohorbanu returned to her village and is living under dire condition.

Appeal for Shohorbanu in Bangla