Birshrestha Motiur Rahman
Family wants the memorial to be outside cantonment
Sabrina Karim Murshed
Construction work on the memorial of Birshrestha Motiur Rahman is likely to begin soon on the premises of BAF Shaheen School and College in Dhaka, though wife and family members of the Liberation War hero want it to be located elsewhere in the city. Sources at the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs said Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has allocated space inside the school for the monument. "Hopefully the construction will begin this month," said a high official of the ministry. But Mili Rahman, widow of Birshrestha Motiur Rahman, said, "I do not want this mausoleum to be erected in the cantonment area as common people will not have access to it. The monument should be built anywhere in Dhaka where commoners have their access." She also reiterated her demand for bringing back Motiur Rahman's remains from Karachi, Pakistan.Motiur's monument is being built as part of a government project. The government decided to erect monuments for the seven Birshresthas at their graves and construct school and colleges in their villages to pay homage to the country's highest gallantry awardees. The six other mausoleums in memory of the Birshresthas will be constructed at their graves in Moulvibazar, Jessore, Khulna, Rangamati, Chapainawabganj and Brahmanbaria. "Motiur Rahman is a Birshrestha. People want his monument to be in such a place where they have access to visit," Mili Rahman said. She said there is no need to build a grand monument. A simple grave is enough for people who want to visit and pay respect. Most of Motiur's family members and well-wishers have the same feeling. The project was initially aimed at constructing monuments, each at a cost of Tk 67 lakh. It was later revised bringing the estimated cost of each monument down to Tk 9.1 lakh and allocating Tk 60 lakh to construct a school or college building in their names in each of their home areas. The Department of Architecture (DoA) will construct the monuments while Education Engineering Department will build the school/college buildings. When asked, Chief Engineer of DoA Abdul Salam said they have not yet received any instruction for the site of Motiur Rahman's memorial. "But it is for sure that it will be built in Dhaka. We will begin the construction of Motiur Rahman's memorial as soon as we get directive," he said.
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