Title PARTITION: Tape 69 Writer 255MODEM Mod Date & Time 255MODEM Apr 24 02:24 TAPE 69 Side A Salahuddin AHMED - has taught history at Dhaka University; tall, kindly, optimistic, a Royist; now 73/4; in Indian Red Cross in 46, in Cal and then Noakhali - interviewed in his home in Dhaka, 21/4/97 10 - [direct action day] 'at that time I was working with the Indian Red Cross society as a relief and rehab worker; we had no idea that there's going to be riots on that day but we had serious apprehension; the way the Ms of Cal were agitated, and they way they seemed to have gone crazy about Pak' 22 - 'they ahd declared that day a public holiday and that had aroused misgivings among the Hs ... since I ws working with the Red cr, and I had a lot of Hs working with me, they warned me on the 15th ... get ready, we may have to take ambulances out ...' 38 - 'on 16th morning I learnt from friends that trouble had already started before the mtg, cos processions were attacking H shops, ... and H extremists were also getting read for counter attack' 46 - 'on 16th evening, rioting had started - not in Park Circus area but in a neighbouring area ... it was a m/c area ... and we decided that we wd not allow any viol in our area ... we hurriedly decided to form a gp, and we decided to escort the Hs if nec toa nearby police stn, and try yo prevent any kind of viol ...' 64 > (story of Royist labour leader, Rajini Mukherjee, on 17th morning - and rescued by Muslim goondas, inc Yusuf a coal merchant) 159 - 'the Gt Cal Killing produced such an impact on people's minds that partn seems to be the only soln, cos so much hatred was generated ... but later on people began to realise it was the wrong thing to do, it did not solve the problem' 174 > (more about Yusuf) 180 - 'we went to the red C office, and we saw dead bodies lying in the streets ... we were more interested in taking the wounded to the hosp, but in some cases bodies were also taken to the morgue' 190 - 'people were dehumanised, those who were involved in the rioting' 216 - 'I sd say that the maj of the people of Cal were opposed to killing; a minority with arm, they create this sitn and the maj were helpless ... ' 227 - went to Noakhali, on behalf of Red Cross: 'I was the only M in that Red Cross team ... we were there [nr Feni] for about two weeks ... I was v much inspired by G-ji's phil, a kind of moral relief, that we sd try to investigate the reasons why rioting has taken place, people must forgive and forget ...' (and anecdote re relief worker who sd cause of riot was H zamindars exploiting M peasants) 276 - re Ghulam Sarwar: 'one thing I learned was that there was not as much killing as reported; in a way it was worse