New list of freedom fighters by March 26

The government will publish a new list of freedom fighters by March 26 (Independence Day) next year.

Certificates of 2,400 fake freedom fighters have already been cancelled and investigation is going on against some others.

The Liberation War affairs ministry will take legal actions against those who enjoyed facilities in the name of freedom fighters, said Minister AKM Mozammel Huq in an interview with the news agency on the occasion of Victory Day 2015.

He said every freedom fighter would be provided with digital certificates and identity cards to prevent forgery. They would be given honour of special citizens too, he added.

After their deaths, all freedom fighters would be buried in graves of an identical design all over the country and this initiative would be taken from March 2016, the minister said.

About 28,000 freedom fighters died in last 44 years and currently 1,70,000 freedom fighters are alive.

The minister said finalisation of the list of freedom fighters tallying with the Indian list of 1971 was being delayed because of a case pending with the High Court.

He said a law would be enacted to write "Bir" (hero) before their names.

The government is undertaking a project to build a residential area for freedom fighters at district and upazila levels, he said, adding that a residential project worth Tk 150 crore had already been taken for the injured freedom fighters and the construction of own complexes for freedom fighters was going on in 322 upazilas of 64 districts.

The minister said the freedom fighters would get Tk 10,000 each as allowance from the next year. They are getting free medical treatment and their children are getting special facilities in education and employment, he added.

Meanwhile, information will be collected to make a list of Pakistani collaborators soon, he said.