Family members of several Liberation War martyrs have demanded steps for protection and proper maintenance of Babla Bon mass grave site in Rajshahi city so that people can pay homage to the great sons of the soil, who were buried there.

The Pakistani army with the help of their local collaborators picked up 17 people including intellectuals and politicians from their houses on the night of November 25 in 1971.

Their bodies were found after local people discovered the mass grave near Boalia Club in the city on

December 30.

Bodies of the 17 martyrs including Prof Mir Abdul Quayyum of Rajshahi University, Nawrose-ud-Doula Khan, Taslim Uddin, Abul Hossain. Alauddin, Taiyab Ali, Mirja Sultan, Azizul Haque Chowdhury and Aminul Haque Chowdhury were dumped at the site.

"I can still remember the day well when I went to the grave site riding a bicycle in the morning of December 30. 1971.1 could identify my father's body by seeing the ring on his finger," said Asaf-ud-Doula Khan Guizar, son of Nawrose-ud-Doula

Khan who developed a transistor amplifier and supplied it to freedom fighters for use during the war.

Towfiqur Rahman Lavlu, nephew of martyred businessman Altaf Hossain, said he identified his uncle's body after seeing his sweater.

Thirteen of the bodies were tied up with a rope.

Family members of the martyrs and local people gathered at the gravesite on November 25 marking their abduction on this day in 1971.

Talking to The Daily Star on the occasion, they demanded protection of the site and trial of war criminals.