Mohammad Enamul Hoque Mithu :
Historic March month means month of Independence. March comes every year with a strange feelings of joy and sorrows. From very beginning of month March, different national & local dailies and electronic medias publish different events of liberation struggle.
When those unknown stories of the War of Independence are disseminated in various medias, the question arises – how much do we know the real history of the country, the Liberation War and the freedom fighters we are so proud of.
We try to know the story of the sacrifices of those fearless freedom fighters who risked their lives to jump on the enemy to liberate this country.
The liberation war of Bangladesh is an exceptional event in the history of the world. In 1971, three million lives were sacrificed in nine-month war of independence.
Only the Bengali nation has sacrificed so many lives in such a short time in the world.
The people of this country, irrespective of race, religion and caste, jumped into the war of independence in that day. But it is very sad to say that even after the 50 years of independence, we have not been able to prepare final list of the real freedom fighters who participated in the liberation war, what great weakness as a nation! Responsible for compiling the list of FFs before the National Freedom Fighters Council (FFC). Making a list of bonafide freedom fighters accurately after this period is not an easy task also .
However, the manner in which the list of freedom fighters is being compiled raises doubts as to whether it is possible to include the names of disadvantaged poor freedom fighters in remote areas of the country.
There are many freedom fighters who were neglected in the society who are not able to include their names in the list of real freedom fighters due to systemic complications.
As a result, these freedom fighters are being deprived of the facilities allotted by the state during their lifetime. The late Mofzal Ahmad Chowdhury, a heroic freedom fighter of Baharchara in Banshkhali, has been left out in same way. He was born in Baharchara Union No. 4 under Banshkhali Police Station in South Chittagong. Late Ferdous Ahmed and late Julekha Khatun were the father and mother of late freedom fighter Mofzal Ahmed Chowdhury respectively.
Mofzal Ahmad Chowdhury, a heroic freedom fighter, was the President of the Awami League and the Joint General Secretary of the Banshkhali Thana Awami League from 1965 to 1986. Not only that, this heroic freedom fighter late Mofazal Ahmad Chowdhury was the chairman of the relief committee of Baharchara Union No. 4 during the post-independence period.
Even from the scourge of poverty, he used to say, ‘ I did not go to liberation war for any appreciation paper or certificate rather to response the historic call of Bangabandhu in March 07 speech to liberate the country from the occupation forces.
What will happen to these paper certificate? I did not jump into the war of liberation for any self interest or greed for money, he used to say always in his life time.
‘However, by submitting fake documents, the high breed people of the society are enjoying all the facilities of the state even though they are fake freedom fighters. In this way, the non- greedy, real freedom fighters and their families are still neglected in the society.
