A REPORT published in the New Nation on Sunday said an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) now serving as a probationer in Mymensingh and recruited on freedom fighters quota is using the fake identify as the son of a former freedom fighter. He is not the lone person misusing the identity to exploit the enormous state benefits that the government has earmarked for freedom fighters and their children vying for government services. It is almost an open secret that the government is facilitating recruitment of party cadres into public services and in doing so candidates often use freedom fighters certificates to get the job under special quota system for freedom fighters.
But details of the concerned police officer showed his father who hails from Narsingdi district was not in the list of Upazila Freedom Fighters in 2010 and even was not known as a freedom fighter. The police officer, who earlier worked for National Board of Revenue (NBR) also did not claim as son of a freedom fighter in his bio-data. He did not take part in the special 32nd BCS exam for children of freedom fighters and appeared next year in 2014 when he was able to collect such a certificate from the Liberation War Ministry.
Everyone knows that such certificates can be easily bought now from the Ministry. But what appears highly disturbing is that by doing so the government, which is placing the dignity of the Liberation War above everything, is destroying the dignity of the freedom fighters, the greatest sons of our soil, by indiscriminate issuing of such certificates to dishonest fortune-seekers. It is not acceptable at all. When the Commander of the local Upazila Muktijoddha Command Council said he did not know how the police officer secured the certificate from the Liberation War Ministry as the news report said, the paradox becomes altogether clear. Freedom fighters’ Certificates are now traded in the corridor of the Liberation War Ministry while the government itself is the biggest vendor of Liberation War in fixing its own politics.
It is no more secret that many people are already in the government service using fake freedom fighters’ certificates collected by using money and political connection; least to speak about new recruits at entry level. Even some secretaries lost jobs in 2014 as they were using fake certificates but many others are still in service at different levels enjoying protection. What is at stake is that such officers – be it in police or at other places — are recklessly using their power and position to show their loyalty to the government. But they are the ones also who are making the government highly reprehensive taking politicization of administration to the peak.
Many people made money by issuing false freedom fighter certificates.
