The House has unanimously passed a resolution pleading the government to recognise biranganas – women raped during the Liberation War – as freedom fighters by finalising a list.
Jessore 2 lawmaker Monirul Islam placed the proposal before the House yesterday, while 10 other lawmakers spoke in its favour.
After a discussion on a private members’ resolution, the speaker placed the proposal for voting and the lawmakers voted for it.
The aforementioned 10 lawmakers also made some suggestions in this regard, such as the inclusion of the topic of biranganas in the text books.
Earlier on Tuesday, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told parliament that the government had begun finalising the list of biranganas, which is expected to be complete within two months.
He said yesterday: “The nation has not forgotten the plight of the female members of our society, who were subject to sexual violence during the war.”
The liberation war affair minister informed parliament that the list would carry only the names of the biranganas who wished to make their indentities public. The list will be published as gazette notification and the biranganas will be given due recognition and allowance such as freedom fighters enjoy.
Awami League lawmaker Israfil Alam proposed to use the term birkonya (war heroines) instead of birangana, but the House rejected his proposal.
The liberation war affairs minister told the House that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave the name birangana, so it would not be wise to rename it.
“The Father of the Nation recognised them as biranganas. We will definitely recognise them as freedom fighters,” he said, adding that those who wished their names to not be published would be left out of the list, keeping in line with their wishes.
Independent lawmaker Dr Rustom Ali Farazi proposed to give them Tk10,000 honorarium every month, but that was rejected as well.
“Since they are going to included in the freedom fighters’ list, they will automatically be entitled to an honorarium,” the minister said.
Earlier on October 13 last year, the government decided to recognise biranganas as freedom fighters.
Before the decision was taken, the High Court bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Md Habibul Gani issued a ruling on January 27 last year seeking an answer from the government as to why biranganas would not get facilities similar to freedom fighters.
The bench also sought a response as to why a gazette would not be issued listing all the names of the biranganas.
On January 29, 2009, after a discussion on a private members’ resolution, the ninth parliament unanimously passed the historic resolution calling upon the government to ensure the trial of the war criminals.
This is the second private members’ resolution in the 10th parliament that has been approved by the House.
