Amid criticism and controversy, the government has withheld the recently published list of Razakars, the Bengalis who collaborated with the Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War.
"The list has been withheld as several quarters has pointed out discrepancies in it", SM Arifur Rahaman, secretary to the Liberation War affairs ministry, told Bangla Tribune.
On Dec 15, the ministry released a list of 1971 collaborators, when Minister AKM Mozammel Haque it was not a new list rather the one prepared by the home ministry.
The first installment of the list of 10,789 Razakars has left people astonished as it was revealed that it apparently includes names of several freedom fighters and pro-liberation individuals.
Freedom fighters have demanded a swift review of the list of collaborators after names of some of them and members of martyrs’ families appeared on it.
War Crimes Fact Finding Committee, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, and Sector Commanders’ Forum called for identification of those responsible for the controversy and action against them as well.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Liberation War affairs ministry said that it did not give any input into the list of 10,789 members of Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, Shanti Committee and other anti-liberation forces published on Dec 15. The home ministry-prepared list was published without any change, it said.
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