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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 |
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