Number of wounded freedom fighters has risen to 4,598 as the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs (MOLWA) recently included 51 more names of wounded freedom fighters into the earlier list. With the rise of the wounded freedom fighters, the number of freedom fighters has also been increased.
According to the sources in the MOLWA, the ministry on Tuesday published a circular recognising a list comprising the names of 51 new freedom fighters, who sustained wounds during the nine-month long War of Liberation in 1971. The names of 51 new wounded freedom fighters were selected at a meeting of the National Freedom Fighter’s Council.
The sources said a wounded freedom fighter usually get Tk 25,000 to Tk 45,000 as monthly allowance. Sources with the Bangladesh Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust said, each of around 100 wounded freedom fighters in the category get Tk 45,000 in every month as allowance, each of 95 others get Tk 35,000 and each of the rest wounded freedom fighters get Tk 25,000.
The sources also said, apart from the monthly allowance, the wounded freedom fighters also get festival bonus, treatment allowances, special amount for the purposes of the marriages of their children, free education facilities for their children, ration cards. They do not have to pay the bills for the usage of water, gas and electricity.
Besides, wounded freedom fighters also get wheelchairs, crutch sticks, artificial organs, shoes, shocks and optics at free of cost. In addition to them, they also get allowance for recreation purposes every year. Not only that, the families of the martyrs and a large number of wounded freedom fighters get free mobile phones with Tk 100 to 1,000 as monthly bill for the purpose of keeping contacts with the trust officials.
Apart from the up-gradation of the list of the freedom fighters, the government is going to publish the names of all the Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al- Shams, who were active against the War of Liberation in 1971 and involved with the Crimes Against the Humanity.
As per the move, the government is going to publish a list of 8,000 Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al- Shams on December 15, the day before the Victory Day on December 16. Razakar was one of the anti-Bangladesh paramilitary forces organised by the Pakistan Army in the then East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
The Al-Badr was another paramilitary force composed mainly of Bihari Muslims, which operated in East Pakistan against the Bengali nationalist movement during the War of Liberation, under the patronage of the Pakistani government while the Al-Shams was an anti-Bangladesh paramilitary wing of several Islamist parties in the then East Pakistan.
