Govt to release freedom fighters' list on March 26

The government will publish a final list of freedom fighters on Independence Day on March 26 next year, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq has said.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Dec 2019, 12:04 PM
Updated : 15 Dec 2019, 12:04 PM

Addressing a media briefing at the liberation war affairs ministry on Sunday, Mozammel said, "We have received the first draft of the list of freedom fighters. According to the information we have, as many as 333,856 names appear in one list or the other. Among them, 251,285 have a valid claim to the title."

At present, 201,461 are receiving the freedom fighters' allowance, said the minister, adding, "People's names appear on multiple documents. Therefore it may seem that the number of freedom fighters is high but it is actually not more that 210,000."

According to Mozammel, his own name as a freedom fighter appears in at least five lists. But the authorities have begun the process of filtering the information, said the minister.

Highlighting the process of scrutinising  freedom fighters, Mozammel said a gazette recognising 44,000 people as freedom fighters had previously been published in violation of the law. Later, an initiative to prepare a list was taken in accordance with the rules.