Gazette soon to strip gallantry awards of 4 Bangabandhu killers: minister

Liberation War Affairs Ministry has decided, in principle, to strip the state gallantry awards of four convicted killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The decision was made at a meeting of Jatiya Muktijoddha Council on Tuesday and the ministry will issue a gazette in this regard within a couple of days.

Talking to reporters at Secretariate, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq said the decision was made to strip gallantry awards of the four convicted killers and the ministry will issue a gazette in this regard.

The minister, however, didn't elaborate on this.

The four absconding killers are -- Nur Chowdhury, Shariful Haque Dalim, Rashed Chowdhury and Moslehuddin Khan.

Of them, Nur was awarded the title Bir Bikram, Dalim Bir Uttam, and Rashed and Moslehuddin were awarded the title Bir Protik for their contributions during the Liberation War in 1971.

The then government had conferred the awards on them in 1973 and issued a gazette notification to this effect on December 15 of the same year.

In February, a probe body of Muktijoddha Council proposed revoking gallantry awards given to late president Ziaur Rahman and killers of Bangabandhu and their patrons and sent the proposal to the Liberation War Affairs Ministry for final approval.

The High Court on December 15 also ordered the government to suspend the state gallantry awards of four convicted killers of Bangabandhu.