Bangladesh amends freedom fighters' law, drops 'Father of the Nation' title for Mujibur Rahman
This move comes just days after Mujibur Rahman’s portrait was dropped from the country’s new currency notes. He is the founding father of Bangladesh and the father of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
- Jun 4, 2025,
- Updated Jun 4, 2025 4:07 PM IST
Bangladesh's interim government has removed the title "Father of the Nation" for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a sweeping amendment to the country's freedom fighters’ law. The ordinance, issued late Tuesday by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, revises the National Freedom Fighters Council Act and alters key terms related to the Liberation War of 1971, according to reports in local media.
This move comes just days after Mujibur Rahman’s portrait was dropped from the country’s new currency notes. He is the founding father of Bangladesh and the father of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to The Dhaka Tribune, the amended law alters the definition of freedom fighters and modifies “the term ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.’” The bdnews24.com portal said, “The words 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' and portions of the law that mentioned the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been deleted.”
The Daily Star reported that the new ordinance also introduces a reworded definition of the Liberation War. “The new definition of Liberation War drops the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The previous one mentioned that the war was waged responding to Bangabandhu's call for independence,” the paper said.
The updated law reclassifies those previously considered freedom fighters. Members of the national and provincial assemblies (MNAs and MPAs) associated with the Mujibnagar government-in-exile, who were once recognised as freedom fighters, will now be termed “associates of the Liberation War.”
Under the revised criteria, anyone who received combat training within Bangladesh or at Indian camps between March 26 and December 16, 1971, and who took up arms against Pakistani forces and their collaborators, will continue to be recognised as freedom fighters. This includes members of the Mukti Bahini, East Pakistan Rifles (EPR), police, Kilo Force, Mujibnagar government forces, naval commandos, and others.
The ordinance also includes women survivors of war-time sexual violence (Birangona), as well as doctors, nurses, and medical assistants who served in field hospitals during the war.
The new legal language defines the Liberation War as “the armed struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, by the people of Bangladesh aiming to establish a sovereign democratic state founded on equality, human dignity and social justice, against the occupying Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators.”
In January this year, the interim government made a similar shift in school education. New textbooks for the 2025 academic year credit Ziaur Rahman—then an Army major and later a sector commander—with declaring Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Previously, the textbooks had stated that Mujibur Rahman had made the call for independence.
(With inputs from PTI)
Bangladesh's interim government has removed the title "Father of the Nation" for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a sweeping amendment to the country's freedom fighters’ law. The ordinance, issued late Tuesday by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, revises the National Freedom Fighters Council Act and alters key terms related to the Liberation War of 1971, according to reports in local media.
This move comes just days after Mujibur Rahman’s portrait was dropped from the country’s new currency notes. He is the founding father of Bangladesh and the father of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to The Dhaka Tribune, the amended law alters the definition of freedom fighters and modifies “the term ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.’” The bdnews24.com portal said, “The words 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' and portions of the law that mentioned the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been deleted.”
The Daily Star reported that the new ordinance also introduces a reworded definition of the Liberation War. “The new definition of Liberation War drops the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The previous one mentioned that the war was waged responding to Bangabandhu's call for independence,” the paper said.
The updated law reclassifies those previously considered freedom fighters. Members of the national and provincial assemblies (MNAs and MPAs) associated with the Mujibnagar government-in-exile, who were once recognised as freedom fighters, will now be termed “associates of the Liberation War.”
Under the revised criteria, anyone who received combat training within Bangladesh or at Indian camps between March 26 and December 16, 1971, and who took up arms against Pakistani forces and their collaborators, will continue to be recognised as freedom fighters. This includes members of the Mukti Bahini, East Pakistan Rifles (EPR), police, Kilo Force, Mujibnagar government forces, naval commandos, and others.
The ordinance also includes women survivors of war-time sexual violence (Birangona), as well as doctors, nurses, and medical assistants who served in field hospitals during the war.
The new legal language defines the Liberation War as “the armed struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, by the people of Bangladesh aiming to establish a sovereign democratic state founded on equality, human dignity and social justice, against the occupying Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators.”
In January this year, the interim government made a similar shift in school education. New textbooks for the 2025 academic year credit Ziaur Rahman—then an Army major and later a sector commander—with declaring Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Previously, the textbooks had stated that Mujibur Rahman had made the call for independence.
(With inputs from PTI)