Locals have branded Rois Uddin Ahmed, a resident of Monirampur upazila’s Palashi area, as the only razakar among the locality’s 286 listed freedom fighters.
Rois, 65, was included in the gazette in 2003 and given a temporary freedom fighter certificate two years later. He received the freedom fighter allowance from July 2015 until December last year when the allegations against him surfaced.
Villagers said he was a devoted Muslim League activist in his student days and terrorised the area during the war collaborating with the Pakistani forces to thwart Bangladesh’s struggle for freedom.
Rois along with his two brothers Yunus and Abdul Mannan, and their cousin Delwar allegedly helped razakars to seize a huge cache of firearms hidden by the freedom fighters in the Harihar River of the area.
Both of his brothers were killed during the war but he survived.
Abdul Quader, the son of a freedom fighter from neighbouring Rajbaria village, claimed Rois bragged about his past as razakar.
“I went to the upazila office to fix a spelling error in my father’s name. Rois was there. He told me that my father was a real freedom fighter. So, why are we running around with papers? People like them are supposed to do that,” Quader said.
Rohita union freedom fighters' commander Liakat Ali said Rois’ father-in-law was in the army and a freedom fighter.
“Rois obtained his freedom fighter certificate with his father-in-law’s assistance,” Liakat claimed.
Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, president of Rohita union Awami League, claimed that Rois is a razakar. He got his freedom fighter certificate in exchange for money.
The man in question denied the allegations but could not produce any documents to substantiate his version of the story.
When contacted, Rois claimed that Hindus who had fled the village during the war had asked him take care of their livestock. “I used to sell these cows and goats and send them the money,” he said.
Regarding his escape, he told that Dhaka Tribune that a group of masked men attacked his house in July 1971, following a local dispute. “I escaped to Noakhali. There I joined the army on August 1. I fought in Noakhali after receiving training in India,” he said.
“Later, I retired as a Habildar in army. I fought for Bangladesh in India’s Assam. I received my freedom fighter allowance from July 2015 after submitting all necessary documents.”
He went to take part in a hearing of the freedom fighter scrutiny committee on February 12 on allegations filed by local freedom fighters on December 18 last year. Several freedom fighters claimed Rois faced wrath of some freedom fighters present there and left the scene before the hearing had begun.
The committee’s member secretary and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Atul Mondal said: “When we called Rois’ name, everyone shouted that he was a razakar. Moreover, he did not take part in the hearing. So, the committee decided to brand him a razakar.”
Rois claimed he could not attend the hearing as he was sick. He said he would appeal against the decision.
Manirampur upazila freedom fighters' commander MM Nazrul Islam said: “Recommendations have been forwarded to the authorities concerned to identify Rois as a razakar and take necessary steps against him.”
Thursday, June 04, 2026
