Police top brass yesterday said the police force’s contribution to the Liberation War had been neglected, pointing out that no policeman had ever been awarded the Bir Sreshtho gallantry award.
“Police first received the Swadhinata Padak in 2011 – 40 years after independence – and no policeman was ever made Bir Sreshtho,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Islam said at a programme to commemorate policemen who were freedom fighters.
He said the police’s contribution had been neglected by the country’s historians.
Even the events at Rajarbagh police line, the site of the first armed resistance to Pakistani aggression, had not been well publicised, he said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the Dhaka Range Mahbubur Rahman said: “The police were neglected when the lists were drawn up to honour gallantry during the war, so no Bir Uttam or Bir Bikram was named from among the police.”
At the programme, some 43 policemen who fought in 1971 as freedom fighters were decorated for their valour. Of them, 12 were martyred during the Liberation War, eight died after independence and 23 are still alive.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said: “A committee was formed to make a list of freedom fighters and martyrs after the war. Those who filled out the form were enlisted. No one was left out of the list intentionally.”
He said he would discuss recognition for policemen freedom fighters with the prime minister.
He added that when one studies the list, the Liberation War seems more like a military campaign than a mass war.
Mozammel said the gazette for allowances for the families of martyred freedom fighters would be issued soon, and said allowances would soon be doubled.
The wife of freedom fighter and first IGP of Bangladesh Abdul Khalek, Selina Khalek, demanded that her husband’s grave site be made permanent.
Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Additional IGP Mokhlesur Rahman, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah, Hasan Imam and high ranking police officers were present at the event.