2,367 guerrillas recognised as freedom fighters

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court verdict that directed the government to recognise 2,367 guerrilla fighters, who participated in the Liberation War in 1971, as freedom fighters.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed a leave-to-appeal petition filed by the government challenging the HC verdict.

Responding to a writ petition, the HC in September last year passed the directive. It at the time asked the government to give guerrilla fighters proper dignity and status.

The guerrilla fighters should be given allowances with retrospective effect from the day the government introduced special allowances for freedom fighters, said petitioners' lawyer Subrata Chowdhury, referring to the HC order.

In the writ petition, it is said that a special guerrilla force was formed with leaders and activists of the National Awami Party (NAP), Communist Party and Chhatra Union after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence on March 26, 1971.

Deputy commanders of the guerrilla force formally surrendered their arms to Bangabandhu at Dhaka National Stadium on January 30, 1972.

The government-in-exile in 1971 and the government led by Bangabandhu recognised members of the guerrilla force as freedom fighters, the petitioners said, adding that the names of the members of the guerrilla force were published in government notifications.

The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs in July 2013 published a gazette declaring the guerrillas, including Comrade Moni Singh and NAP President Prof Mozaffar Ahmed, freedom fighters. The two were advisers to the government-in-exile.

In October 2014, the government revoked the gazette.