The accused and a witness of the Agartala conspiracy case yesterday urged the government to take necessary steps to stop the distortion of the fact.

Expressing their frustration, they also demanded that the government recognise the contribution of the accused and rebel witnesses of the case, which paved the way for the country's independence.

Forward Bangladesh and Road 2 Freedom organised a felicitation programme in their honour at the Liberation War Museum.

The then Pakistan government filed the infamous case against 35 people, with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the top of the list, in January 1968. They were accused of involvement in a conspiracy to secede the then East wing from Pakistan.

During the trial stage, four state witnesses turned hostile and gave testimony in favour of the accused before the tribunal.

Of the 39, including the accused and the hostile witnesses, only six are still alive. Of the six, five including the lone witness attended the event.

They are: LSCDI Nur Mohammad, corporeal (retd) ABM Abdus Samad, able seaman (retd) Mohammad Khurshid, Major Dr Shamsul Alam, Captain M Shawkat Ali Mia, Sergeant Abdul Jalil and hostile witness Abul Hossain.

According to the accused, the Pakistani government was compelled to withdraw the case against the backdrop of a mass upsurge in 1969. All of them were released on February 22, 1969.

Former deputy speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Col (retd) Shawkat Ali said some navy officials planned to free the then east Pakistan from the occupation of west Pakistan through a sudden attack at their key points. Later, their plan was leaked and the case was framed, he said.

The fifth accused of the case LSCDI Nur Mohammad said they did it to free the country but in return they were not given proper recognition.

Sergeant (retd) Abdul Jalil aggrieved they denied the allegations as a defensive strategy at that time. “But, in the books the case is mentioned as if it was framed to foil the six-point demand,” he said, asking the government to remove the distortion.

Journalist Kamal Lohani presided over the programme.