page_title: Collaborators Act 1972
section_title: Flawed process
hierarchical_section_title: Collaborators Act 1972 / Flawed process
caption_attribution_description: English: Rajakar Shah Azizur Rahman was freed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
context_page_description: The Collaborators Act was a law enacted in 1972 by the government of Bangladesh to try those who did not side with the nationalist cause in the Bangladesh Liberation War, or politically opposed the liberation war or willingly cooperated with the Pakistan Army or committed criminal acts. This law is referred as the Bangladesh Collaborators Order 1972, commonly known as Collaborators Act, 1972.
  About 2,884 cases were filed under this law until October 1973. Of the accused, 752 were given punishment. Later on 31 October 1975, the Collaborators Act was dismissed due to several reasons and irregularities found in the law. The law was amended three times.
  The Act, was designed to facilitate arrest and trial of accomplices as well as of local perpetrators of the genocide remained in place.
context_section_description: The Collaborators Act 1972, soon started to prove itself as a spiderweb. The number of big flies trapped in it were very low. Dr. Malik, Maulana Muhammad Ishaq, AKM Yousuf, Izhar Ahmed were the only big figures to be punished. Many others who were directly involved in genocide were freed or went underground.
  The uncle of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain was a Rajakar. He sent him to jail. But soon many such cases started to arise.
  Awami Muslim League leader Rajakar Athar Ali Khan was the father of a freedom fighter from Bagerhat who attained the gallantry award Bir Uttam for his bravery. Athar Ali Khan did not face any trial because of his son.
  A Rajakar who later joined Bangladesh Rifles (Presently known as Border Guards Bangladesh) after liberation war remained untouched and promoted in a higher post during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman regime.
  Taslimuddin Ahmed, who signed the notification for the 14 collaborators asking them to surrender was himself a collaborator. Another surprising scenario was staged in a special tribunal where a Rajakar recruiting officer became the judge and gave verdict against the one whom he recruited as Rajakar. Many such situations was raised that time.
  Those who had close relation with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were never tried. Mujib himself freed collaborators like Khan A Sabur, Shah Azizur Rahman, Wahiduzzaman, Mawlana Abu Zafar Mohammad Saleh, former Awami League leader AKM Shamsul Haque and many others.
  After liberation war, a committee was formed under Nilima Ibrahim to find out the collaborators who worked in Radio Pakistan. 43 people were found by the committee who worked for Pakistan. Unfortunately no action were taken against them as they were the part of progressive society as well as Awami League and some of them were killed by Pakistanis.
  Lieutenant Colonel Firoz Salahuddin, who recruited many Rajakar and was loyal to the Pakistan Army till the end of liberation war was rehabilitated in the Bangladesh Army after the liberation war for having close relation with M. A. G. Osmani.
caption: Shah Aziz Freed
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