Bangladesh Redefines ‘Freedom Fighter’; Mujibur Rahman Removed from Official List

Dhaka: The interim government of Bangladesh, led by Mohammad Yunus, has issued a new ordinance redefining the term "freedom fighter" (Bir Muktijoddha), effectively removing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and over 400 other prominent individuals from the official list of those recognised for their role in the country's 1971 Liberation War.

The ordinance, issued Tuesday night, amends the National Freedom Fighters Council Act and reclassifies many who were previously honoured as freedom fighters. Under the new definition, Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) affiliated with the wartime provisional Mujibnagar Government, as well as members of the post-war constituent assembly, will now be considered merely as “associates of the Liberation War” rather than as freedom fighters.

Also reclassified under this new category are:

• Professionals who contributed from abroad during the war.
• Citizens who influenced international opinion in favour of Bangladesh.
• Employees and officials of the Mujibnagar Government.
• Physicians, nurses, and aides associated with the provisional government.
• Artistes and staff of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra.
• Bangladeshi journalists and the Swadhin Bangla Football Team members who supported the war effort.

According to a report by leading Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, this reclassification affects national icons including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tajuddin Ahmad (the country’s first Prime Minister), Syed Nazrul Islam (former acting President), and over 400 others previously recognised as freedom fighters.

The ordinance now defines the Liberation War as the struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, for “equality, human dignity, and social justice,” against Pakistan’s armed forces and their local collaborators — including the Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nezame-Islam, and the Peace Committee.

Under the revised definition, a freedom fighter is someone who either trained within Bangladesh’s villages or crossed into India to receive military training, and who took up arms against the Pakistani forces and their allies during the war.

Significantly, the ordinance also removes all references to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, including the title “Father of the Nation,” from the law.

Commenting on the controversial move, Liberation War researcher Afsan Chowdhury described it as a bureaucratic decision. Speaking to The Daily Star, he said, “This has happened repeatedly since 1972. Every time a new government takes power, it creates a new list of freedom fighters — often for personal or political gain.”

He added, “The public will not accept this. The Liberation War lives on in the hearts of the people, regardless of official classifications.”

With inputs from IANS