Bir Shreshtha Jahangir memorial museum cum library: Now under threat of river erosion

Erosion by the River Sugandha now threatens Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Captain Mahiuddin Jahangir Memorial Museum and Library in Barisal.
The government built the museum and library at village Rahimganj under Babuganj in 2008 to keep alive the memories of valiant freedom fighter.
It was built as part of a project to construct seven memorial museums and libraries at the respective birthplaces of the seven bir shreshthas. 
The river has already swallowed a large part of the union including many establishments, croplands, roads, orchards and so on and now it stands only 150 -200 meters away from the museum and library. 
‘Without immediate steps, the museum and library will disappear in the river,’ said Manjur Rahman, president of the committee that runs the museum and brother of Mahiuddin Jahangir.
Expressing his fear, Manjur said the way Sugandha River erosion was approaching, the museum would be washed away in the upcoming monsoon.
Locals said the authorities had put sandbags on the river banks but it was not sufficient to save the area as well as the museum from being washed away. 
Siddikur Rahman, nephew of Mahiuddin and caretaker of the museum, said there were about 4,000 books in library which remains open from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. He said that people from all walk of life, especially youths and students, visits the establishment.
‘Nothing but some copies of personal letters related to the memories of the bir shreshtha are in the museum,’ he said.
A management committee member said that post of librarian of the museum and library was lying vacant for about one year. ‘If there is no librarian, for month after month, it is really difficult to manage the books,’ he commented.
He also informed that jobs of the caretaker and librarian were still temporary. 
Locals complained that there was no direct road from the Barisal headquarters to the museum, so it could not attract visitors from others parts of the district as well as other districts.
Babuganj upazila nirbahi officer Dipak Kumar said he was new to the office and would take necessary step after inquiring about the problems. ‘We will take necessary step to save the museum from river erosion,’ he assured.
Family of Mahiuddin has demanded inclusion of the college named after the Bir Shreshtha into monthly pay order facilities.
Mahiuddin, an officer in the army engineers, was born in 1949. During the war of independence, he was posted as commander of the Mehdipur (in Maldah district) sub-sector of sector 7.
Mahiuddin with a plan to destruct a machine-gun of the enemy, and with a SMG on his left hand and a grenade on the right, he secretly seceded from the camp. 
He crossed the road crawling, quickly rushed towards the building and instantly threw the grenade on the machine-gun point. 
The explosion that followed caused the machine-gun point totally dismantled. But an enemy bullet from a nearby two-storied building struck Mahiuddin in the forehead, 
leaving him dead on December 14.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net