The BNP-backed White Panel teachers of Dhaka University (DU) have condemned the decision to revoke former president Ziaur Rahman’s Bir Uttam gallantry title.
The group issued a statement in this regard on Wednesday, said a media release.
“We express our deep concern and regret over the decision to revoke the title of Bir Uttam of a heroic freedom fighter and former president Ziaur Rahman,” the statement said.
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The Jatiya Muktijoddha Council at a meeting on Tuesday decided to scrap Ziaur Rahman’s gallantry award for violating the constitution and abetting the self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in escaping from the country.
The meeting also decided to repeal the state-given awards to Bangabandhu’s convicted killers- Noor Chowdhury, Shariful Haque Dalim, Mosleh Uddin and Rashed Chowdhury.
Bir Uttam, the second-highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh, was conferred on Ziaur Rahman for his contributions to the Liberation War as a sector commander.
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Stating that Ziaur Rahman was not an ordinary freedom fighter, the BNP-backed teachers said he was one of the organizers of the Liberation War and the first Bengali military officer to declare a formal revolt against the Pakistani rulers.
The decision to repeal Ziaur Rahman’s title 50 years after the liberation of Bangladesh was a matter of great regret and was part of the ongoing conspiracy to destroy him and his family, the statement read.
Referring to Ziaur Rahman as an icon in Bangladesh’s political history, the White Panel teachers of DU urged the authorities to refrain from revoking his title in order to ensure that the politics of division did not spread in the country.
