In the face of criticisms, the Yunus regime has decided to re-verify the information of 52 people whose names were included in the government gazette despite not being martyrs in the July movement. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has sent a letter to all divisional commissioners and district administrators to verify the information in this regard after the daily Prothom Alo ran a news report on it.
Earlier, the gazettes of eight martyrs were cancelled as per the Welfare and Rehabilitation of Families of Martyrs and July Warriors of the July Uprising Ordinance-2025 and the Rules of Business, according to a report by Bangla Tribune.
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The government says that if the names of the July martyrs and warriors are proven to be fake, they will be removed from the list. But the question has arisen — how were fake names added to the government gazette? Who is involved in including the names? Who is responsible for including such names in the list? What is the punishment for this?
Who will be considered as July martyrs and July warriors has been specifically stated in the โWelfare and Rehabilitation of Families of Martyrs and July Warriors in the July Uprising Ordinance-2025โ.
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According to the ordinance, โJuly warriorsโ will be those who were injured in attacks by law enforcement forces under the control of the then government or members of the then ruling political party during the July movement. In addition, a person who dies in attacks by law enforcement forces under the control of the then government or members of the then ruling political party will receive the status of โJuly martyrs.โ
In other words, according to the ordinance, there is no legal opportunity to have a name on the list of martyrs or warriors without directly participating in the July movement. But the reality is different. Less than a year later, there has been controversy over many names on the list of July warriors and July martyrs who were not associated with the movement. Many such individuals and families are also enjoying various government benefits allocated to the families of July martyrs and July warrirors.
The government is giving a one-time allowance of Tk30 lakh and Tk20,000 per month to the families of every July martyr. The project of providing free flats to these families has also been finalized.
On the other hand, the July martyrs on the injured list are getting a monthly allowance of Tk10,000 to Tk20,000 according to the category. In case of limb loss, they are getting financial assistance of Tk1-5 lakh. In addition, there are medical assistance, priority in government and semi-government jobs, and rehabilitation facilities.
It is alleged that many have chosen unethical ways to get their names on the list of July martyrs and July warriors to get these benefits. Which is now being identified step by step.
How the list is prepared
The July Mass Uprising Department has been formed under the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. From this department, the names of July martyrs and July warriors are published in the form of a gazette. Before that, a list of July martyrs and July warriors was sent from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. This was later published in the form of a gazette by the government. Once the name appears in the gazette, he becomes eligible for government benefits.
Sources said that the process of identifying July martyrs and July warriors is carried out at the field level. For this, the government has formed a committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) at each district level of the country. The member secretary of the committee is the civil surgeon of the concerned district. According to the rules, an application has to be made to this committee to list a name as a July martyr or July fighter. In the case of a July martyr, his relatives, especially siblings or parents, and in the case of a July fighter, the person himself applies to the committee concerned. For this, the necessary documents, especially proof of treatment in the hospital, have to be submitted.
From the district, the applicants are sent to their respective upazila levels to verify the authenticity of these documents. There, the Upazila Executive Officer and Upazila Health Officer (THA) verify these documents and send them back to the district committee. The district committee interviews the applicants based on this list. Then the July martyrs and July warriors are finalised.
So, the question may arise – how did the names of fake July martyrs and fake July warriors appear on the list? Who is involved in this?
Bangla Tribune spoke to several deputy commissioners, civil surgeons and upazila executive officers of the country to find out about the matter. While some of them commented directly, many expressed reluctance to reveal their names.
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A deputy commissioner of Rangpur division, on condition of anonymity, said: โNo one from the administration is involved in including fake names in the list.โ
He alleged that student representatives, leaders of various political parties and some people holding the position of โcoordinatorโ were involved in including these fake names in the list.
A civil surgeon of Sylhet division, on condition of anonymity, said: โMany people have been prevented from verifying and selecting their documents in the lists that were made immediately after August 5, 2024. Many people have come under pressure to keep their names on the list. As a result, there has been a disruption in those cases such that the documents could not be selected properly. Due to reality, many people could not overcome the obstacles and pressure at that time. Therefore, the administration will not take responsibility for any irregularities.โ
A Upazila Executive Officer of Barisal division told Bangla Tribune: โWe had to verify and sort the documents for the list in less than two months after taking charge in the upazila. The task was very difficult for us. Because no one was injured in the violence in my area. Those whose names came up were injured or killed in Dhaka. Their homes are here. But we do not know the roads in the area. We do not know the local residents either. We could not take anyoneโs help to identify them. Because most of the elected representatives are absconding. In such a situation, due to lobbying by leaders of some political parties, student representatives and student coordinators, it was not possible to verify the documents of many people properly.โ
However, Barguna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shafiul Alam said: โThere is no chance of any fake martyr or fake fighterโs name getting on the list at the district level. We directly interview the applicants based on the documents that have been verified and sorted from the upazila. Then we finalise the list. If in doubt, we drop them.โ
Jamalpur Civil Surgeon Dr. Mohammad Azizul Haque said: โI have not had any such movement at the local level here. Most of the movements that have taken place have taken place in the capital. Therefore, we do not have any names in the list of July martyrs or warriors with any fake documents. We have finalised the documents we have received after further verification.โ
Mirzaganj Upazila Executive Officer of Patuakhali district Md. Tariqul Islam said: โI have not had any such movement here. Therefore, there is no question of injury or death. However, many names of ithose njured or killed in the movements held in the capital come up. In that case, it is very difficult to prove them true or false sitting here.โ
He said: โIn the beginning, the situation was different. So there may have been irregularities somewhere. However, now the situation has changed, so there is an opportunity to verify further.โ
Mymensingh Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Reza Md. Golam Masum Pradhan said: โWe have not received any letter or instructions from the ministry yet to verify the list of July warriors. The list of July warriors was prepared by a committee led by the district administration. No fake warriors were found there. And now if the list is found to be fake, we will correct it. There is nothing else we can do. No one is responsible here.โ
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Md. Taufiqur Rahman said: โThe issue of fake names being included in the July martyrs and July warriors list is being investigated. A report will come to the district from the Upazila Committee. If any fake people are on the list, the district will recommend it to the ministry. There is no problem if the fake people on the list remove themselves. But if they are identified during the investigation, they will be punished according to the law. Those who made the list were new people. Their mistakes are not being looked at seriously now. Because they came from different areas and worked in unfamiliar areas.โ
Penalty provisions
The government has issued an ordinance with provisions for punishment if someone resorts to fraud in the inclusion of their name in the list of July martyrs or July warriors. The ordinance issued on June 17 of this year states that if a person receives government benefits by providing false information despite not being a member of the family of a martyr or an injured July fighter, then he will be considered to have committed a crime. In this case, he will have to pay a maximum of two years in prison and a fine of two lakh taka or double the amount of the benefits and financial assistance received.
When asked about this, Farooq-e-Azam, advisor to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, told Bangla Tribune: โIf someone takes advantage of fraud, the government will take action against him. No matter who he is. The existing ordinance states what the punishment will be. However, if anyone from the administration is involved in this, he will also be charged with negligence in government work.โ
According to the government gazette, the total number of July warriors is 602 in Class A, 1,118 in Class B and 12,038 in Class C.
According to the relevant regulations, Class A injured are getting a one-time payment of Tk5 lakh. They have already been given Tk2 lakh. The remaining Tk3 lakh will be given in the current fiscal year. In addition, they are getting an allowance of Tk20,000 every month.
Class B injured will get a one-time payment of Tk3 lakh. They were given Tk1 lakh in the last fiscal year. The remaining Tk2 lakh will be given in the current fiscal year. They will get an allowance of Tk15,000 per month.
Class C injured have been given a one-time payment of Tk1 lakh. At the same time, they will get an allowance of Tk10,000 every month.
It is worth noting that there is a gazette containing the names of freedom warriors who were killed and injured in the great liberation war of Bangladesh. They also receive various benefits from the government. To be included in the list as a freedom fighter, one has to apply in the prescribed form of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and along with it, necessary documents like photocopy of the Red Liberation War/Indian List, photocopy of the NID card of the living freedom fighter (if applicable), and death certificate of the deceased freedom fighter have to be submitted. The application process is uploaded on the ministry’s website, and the gazette is published after verification.
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