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Published : 18 Mar 2022, 04:20 PM
The Cabinet Division published a revised list of nine individuals and one organisation for the award on Friday after a minister said the authorities would look into the reports.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, who heads the cabinet committee on national awards, said they decided to drop Hamza’s name from the list for “providing false and wrong” information and “hiding” facts.
Mozammel did not provide further details, but said, “We’ll look into those who hid facts and provided false information.”
Many raised eyebrows after the government named Hamza, a little-known ballad singer, for the award posthumously for his contribution to Bengali literature on Tuesday ahead of Independence Day on Mar 26.
In Magura, his birthplace, many knew Hamza as a ballad singer for his ability to write and compose songs effortlessly. Locals said Hamza had worked for the Awami League during an election campaign.
But reports emerged that Hamza was a key suspect in a murder case of 1978. He was sentenced to life in prison but later acquitted on “political grounds”.
Hamza’s son Asaduzzaman is a government official working as the chief executive of Khulna district council. Media reports claimed Asaduzzaman had lobbied for Hamza’s selection for the award.
Mozammel said on Thursday that he would check the allegations against Hamza and his literary works.
bdnews24.com found three books by Hamza – ‘Bagher Thaba’, ‘Prithibir Manchitre Ekti Mujib Tumi’, and ‘Ekusher Panchali’.
This is not the first time government's choice for the highest civilian award has been called into question.
Many litterateurs had expressed surprise on seeing the name of writer SM Rois Uddin, a retired government official, on the list of the winners of the highest civilian award in 2020. He was not much known in contemporary literature.
The authorities dropped his name following criticisms. The entire episode hurt Rois Uddin as well. “Why did they give me [the award], and why have they taken it away?” he had asked.
After the exclusion of Rois Uddin, the gaffe over Hamza has cast fresh doubts on the bureaucratic system of choosing candidates for the national awards.
Only a limited number of individuals or organisations that have made great contributions to the welfare of the country and the people will be considered for the award, according to the rules.
The Cabinet Division sends letters to the ministries, government agencies and previous winners of the Independence Award to shortlist candidates for the honour.
The ministries and agencies can propose names from their respective fields for the awards.
The secretarial committee on administrative development then reviews the proposals and forwards a list through the cabinet committee on national awards to the prime minister to make a decision.
Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh proposed Hamza’s name for the award. The secretary is a member of the committee on administrative development and assists the cabinet committee on awards.
