B'desh govt calls reports on cancellation of Mujibur Rahman's freedom fighter status 'baseless'
Dhaka (PTI): Bangladesh's interim government on Wednesday dismissed as "completely baseless" and "misleading" the media reports that claimed it has dropped the "Father of the Nation" title for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and revised the definition of freedom fighter.
The news published in several media outlets that the freedom fighter recognition of over 100 leaders, including President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Acting President Nazrul Islam and Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed of the Mujibnagar government has been revoked is "completely baseless, false and misleading," the Chief Adviser's office said in a post on X.
The provisional government constituted at Mujibnagar to conduct the Bangladesh Liberation War in April 1971 is popularly known as the Mujibnagar government.
Adviser to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Faruk-e-Azam clarified that those who were in the Mujibnagar government were also freedom fighters.
"Those who fought the liberation war with arms, those who led it, were freedom fighters. However, the officials and employees of that government were associate freedom fighters," he said.
According to the National Freedom Fighters Council (JAMUKA) Ordinance, diplomats including the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra are associate freedom fighters, he said, adding that being associate does not mean that their honour has been tarnished.
He said that the definition of the freedom fighter that existed in 1972 has been implemented. It was changed in 2018 and 2022.
The "honour, status, and privileges" of both freedom fighters and their associates will remain the same, he added.
Citing a government statement, the state-run BSS news agency on Wednesday reported that the gazette of the “National Freedom Fighters Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025” published on Tuesday clearly states that all members of the Mujibnagar government will be recognised as "heroic freedom fighters".
A few days ago, the Muhammad Yunus-led government dropped the portrait of the country’s founding father and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s father Mujibur Rahman from new currency notes.
Earlier, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported that the interim government has amended the National Freedom Fighters Council Act, "altering" the definition of freedom fighter. The amendment to the law also "modifies the term 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman'”, it added.
Bdnews24.com news portal reported that the "words 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' and portions of the law that mentioned the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been deleted."
The Daily Star newspaper reported that the ordinance also makes slight changes to the definition of the Liberation War. "The new definition of Liberation War drops the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The previous one mentioned that the war was waged responding to Bangabandhu's call for independence," it said.
According to the revised ordinance, all MNAs (members of the national assembly) and MPAs (members of the provincial assembly) associated with the Mujibnagar Government, who were later considered members of the erstwhile constituent assembly, will now be categorised as “associates of the Liberation War”, the Dhaka Tribune said.
Until now, they were recognised as freedom fighters.
The ordinance redefines Liberation War as the armed struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, by the people of Bangladesh aiming to establish a sovereign democratic state founded on equality, human dignity and social justice, against the occupying Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
In January, the interim government introduced new textbooks for primary and secondary students for the 2025 academic year that state that Ziaur Rahman, who was an Army major and later a sector commander of the Liberation War, declared the country’s independence in 1971, replacing the previous ones crediting founding father Mujibur Rahman with the declaration.
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High-rise near INS Shikra: HC raps Navy over ‘lapse’, 'intelligence failure'
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Friday pulled up the Navy for its “failure in intelligence” while questioning how a high-rise came up unnoticed in the vicinity of INS Shikra, the maritime force’s premier air station in south Mumbai.
A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri said it was of the prima facie opinion that there has been an intelligence lapse on the part of the Navy as it failed to notice a skyscraper being constructed in the vicinity of its establishment.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Commanding Officer of INS Shikra seeking to halt the project, citing significant security risks to the sensitive military installation.
The bench also questioned the Navy’s selective opposition to only this particular building when there are several other residential high-rises in the vicinity, with some at a “stone throw distance” from INS Shikra.
The petitioner’s advocate R V Govilkar said the other buildings were constructed before 2011, when the Ministry of Defence issued a notification, making a No Objection Certificate mandatory for the construction of tall structures near defence establishments.
The court, however, noted that the present high-rise received its commencement certificate in March 2011, and construction began since then.
“You (Navy) are trying to hide grave lapse on your part… lapse in intelligence and security… there has been a failure of intelligence. The Navy has been sitting in its office and noticed this building only after almost 70 metres (19 storeys) had already been constructed till the year 2024,” HC said.
There has been a prima facie lapse of intelligence, the court said, adding, “We are surprised as to how the Navy has failed to see such a high-rise building being constructed all these years? How has the building gone unnoticed? This can only be attributed to the failure of intelligence on the part of the naval officials.”
The bench said it cannot permit its earlier order, temporarily halting construction activity at the building site, to continue as it was passed due to security concerns ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the city.
The court said since construction up to 53.07 metres (15 storeys) was permitted in the area, the developer of the building shall develop above the permissible height at their own risk.
It added that if the court finally concludes that an NOC (no objection certificate) was mandatory, then it would direct the demolition of the building above the permissible 53 metres.
The court also warned action against Mumbai civic body officials if it is found that the corporation has been complacent or has committed a blunder by granting the commencement certificate without an NOC from the Navy.
It posted the matter for final hearing on March 30.
After perusing photographs of the area near INS Shikra submitted by the developer, the HC noted that there are several other high-rises between the structure under construction and the establishment.
“In fact, from the under-construction building, the naval base is out of sight. This is our prima facie view. We are intrigued that there are other buildings very close to the establishment and a threat perception hovers around them too, but the Navy has not done anything about them,” the court said.
Those buildings are literally a stone’s throw from INS Shikra, Justice Ghuge said.
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, who represented the developer, argued that since the building received its commencement certificate in March 2011, months before the notification issued by the Ministry of Defence, it did not require the mandatory NOC from the defence.
