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Honour they never got

RlZANUZZAMAN LASKAR
Raju Bala Dey and Surjo Begum — two Birangonas raped by Pakistani soldiers during the Liberation War — yesterday narrated their horrifying experience and the humiliation thereafter.
The two Birangonas (war heroines) from Sirajganj are the first among nearly two lakh war rape victims to come in public to recount their torments.
Now aged, they trembled as they told their stories as to how some razakars (collaborators of Pakistani forces) handed them overto Pakistani soldiers.
“Freedom fighters sacrificed their blood to liberate the country and now enjoy many state facilities and get allowances,” said Raju Bala. “But nobody recognises the sacrifice we made...nobody would even lookatus!"
She gave a pause and said, “We demand justice from the wholeworld.”
Raju Bala was speaking at a programme organised by Samajik Sahayata Udyog, a welfare organisation for the brave women abused during the 1971 war, at the Nabab Nawab Ali Senate Bhaban at Dhaka University in the capital
“It was one Tuesday," recalls Raju. “Most people had left the village. As we are Hindu, we had to remain in hiding most of the time."
“The day before, three razakars came to us and said: 'Don't be afraid, you don't have to go into hiding, nothing would happen to you', and we feltreassured."
The next day, she saw several uniformed Pakistani soldiers approaching their house. On coming, they took her husband away at gunpoint; and dragged hertowardsanearbywood.
TWo of them raped her, and lefthertodie.
“My husband later found me and took me to a doctor,” she said, covering her face with hersari.
“I survived. But the life I lived has been one of alienation and dejection.”
Surjo Begum, the other Birangona, was listening to the storywithher eyes closed.
Thenherturncame.
“We dug holes and used to hide our goats in there,” she said. “And we hid ourselves in the water in a nearby pond whenever the Pakistani soldiers passedby.”
“One day, some soldiers saw us in the water. A razakar named Badsha asked us to come out of the water,” said Surjo Begum.
Soaking wet from head to toe, a teenage Suijo followed herfamilyoutofthewater.
“He told us that we would nothavetohideanylonger, and that nothing would happen to us,” she said, adding that she saw the razakar whispering to the Pakistani soldiers as she and herfamilyreturnedhome.
Six Pakistani soldiers from a nearby camp came to the house the next day. TWo of them stood guard outside the house while four soldiers raped four of her family members inside.
“I was the last to be...,” she fell short, covering her face with her sari. She then gave a low, choking moan and began to tremble.
Suijo was married to a cousin a few weeks before the incident
In Bangla, the word Birangona means brave woman. The government conferred the title on the women who were raped by the
Pakistani army during the nine monthsofthewar.
But the title has come to mean a "dishonoured" or "violated woman,” other speakers said, and the Birangonas, including Raju Bala and Suijo Begum, have been forced to live in seclusion rejected by their families and thesociety.
Raju Bala, a devout Hindu, said she is not allowed to enter a temple. And her grandchildren are mocked and teased for being the ofispring of a woman "who was taken away by the military”.
Tm speechless,” said Prof Mizanur Raiunan, chairman of National Human Rights Commission, addressing the programmeas chief guest.
"While many razakars go to mosques and even conduct prayers, this brave woman who had to sacrifice everything for the country can't even enter a temple."
He demanded that the sufferings and harassments of these women end now. He also promised to take their cases to thegovemment.
Women rights activists, teachers and students at the programme demanded that the Birangonas should be recognised as freedom fighters and given all the facilities they get
According to government statistics, around two lakh women were violated during the war of liberation. However, some independent sources put thenumberatfourlakh.