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The forgotten boy martyr

Sabrina Karim Murshed
Seven-year-old Rukia was playing around the structure without knowing its name. "I cannot tell you what it is. You may ask the grownups," she said.
While her ignorance is understandable, what is striking is the fact that people living in the city and near the struc-
ture in question, are either unaware or totally apathetic about the significance of the three pillars inside the Sonali Bank Staff Quarters in Motijheel.
It is a mausoleum, the lone emblem of the supreme sacrifice of 14-year-old Matiur Rahman, a martyr of the mass upsurge of 1969 that had started with the student unrest
against the tyrannical rule of Ayub Khan. Matiur, a student of class nine and son of a Sonali Bank employee Atahar Mallick, was killed when police opened fire on a procession.
'In memoriam of Shaheed Matiur Rahman (Gutthu), the herald of mass upsurge of 1969, martyred on January 24, 1969, and other known and unknown martyrs of the libera-
tion movement1, reads the stone on the mausoleum. It also pays homage to Md. Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Jahangir, a staff of Sonali Bank who became a martyr of the War of Independence.
Unfortunately, the memorial does not receive proper maintenance all the time as there is no permanent body to look after it, said locals. They said that even a few months ago, the Shahid Minar was in a shabby state. But it recently underwent a face-lift.
"The present CBA President of Sonali Bank initiated the renovation after taking office," said Mostafa Hossain, education secretary of Sonali Bank CBA adding beautification work on the monument could start shortly.
The residents attributed the lack of maintenance to the frequent shifting of residents of the staff quarters. "At present at least 1,000 people of 128 families are living here. But the problem is that none of them are permanent residents because the bank only allows an employee a maximum of 12 years to stay in these quarters," explained Abu Musa, a former Sonali Bank employee.
As there is no committee responsible for the monument, the day of Matiur's martyrdom (January 24) is not observed regularly. "Even this year no programme was held to observe the day," said a resident of the staff quarters.
A number of adolescents however, have formed a group called the Kishore Matiur Sangha who organise different programmes to remember the brave teenager. "But its membership is also not static as members also leave the area when their parents move away," said a Sonali Bank staff.
"The Nation knows about Shaheed Asad as a martyr of the mass upsurge. They pay homage to him and Asad Gate has been named after him. But nobody knows about Shaheed Matiur who sacrificed his life at such a young age," lamented Abu Musa.