Take action against fake freedom fighters
It is truly unfortunate that even over 53 years after our liberation, we have been unable to create a complete and accurate list of freedom fighters, while many individuals have managed to include their names using forged documents. Reportedly, during the last 14 years, around 6,000 individuals falsely gained recognition as freedom fighters through forgery. Among them were around 400 government officials and employees, including a former secretary at the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. During this time, institutions connected to freedom fighters—such as the Jatiyo Muktijoddha Council (Jamuka), Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust, and the Muktijoddha Sangsad—faced numerous accusations of corruption and misconduct. But the Awami League government hardly took any action against such irregularities. Sadly, investigations into these cases remain stalled even under the interim government.
Reportedly, the ministry has taken only departmental actions against some of the accused government officials and employees. While it cancelled the gazette entries of fake freedom fighters after identifying irregularities, it has yet to take appropriate action against those involved. Furthermore, no initiatives have been taken to recover the allowances disbursed to these fake freedom fighters over the years.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Reportedly, the ministry has taken only departmental actions against some of the accused government officials and employees. While it cancelled the gazette entries of fake freedom fighters after identifying irregularities, it has yet to take appropriate action against those involved. Furthermore, no initiatives have been taken to recover the allowances disbursed to these fake freedom fighters over the years. Meanwhile, several major corruption cases remain unresolved and even uninvestigated. For example, the Tk74 crore corruption case involving the Muktijoddha Sangsad and the forgery of honorary crests awarded to foreign friends and organisations for their contributions to the war—exposed in the media in 2014—remain unaddressed. The same thing happened to the irregularities reported at the Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust.
Unfortunately, instead of prioritising the investigation of corruption and irregularities, the ministry has focused on creating a new list of freedom fighters. The fresh list will reportedly recognise only those who directly fought in the war as freedom fighters, while individuals who contributed indirectly or raised global awareness will be classified as associates. A draft ordinance has already been sent to the Cabinet Division for approval.
We think making a fresh list will have little impact unless the widespread corruption and irregularities within organisations related to freedom fighters are thoroughly investigated. Corruption at the relevant ministry and the fraudulent gazette listings of non-freedom fighters have severely damaged the credibility and reputation of our liberation war. This cannot be allowed to persist any longer. Therefore, we strongly urge the government to investigate all cases of corruption and forgery and take appropriate action against those responsible.
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