Staff Reporter:
The July Martyrs’ Memorial Foundation has alleged that fraudulent documents and political influence have tainted the official list of martyrs and those injured from the July uprising.
The organisation claimed that such irregularities not only dishonour the genuine victims but also undermine the sacrifices of the national movement.
In a letter sent to the government, the foundation said that a review of submitted applications and documents reveals that many individuals, who were not injured during the protests, managed to enlist their names in the Health Directorate’s Management Information System (MIS) using fake medical documents. Some injured later in unrelated accidents also enlisted as movement victims.
The foundation’s investigation uncovered that even deaths unrelated to the movement were included in the list of martyrs. Imtiaz Hossain from Chatkhil, Noakhali, accidentally shot himself while looting weapons during the government’s fall; Abu Said from Demra was beaten to death by a mob during a local extortion incident; Bijoy from Jatrabari died in a motorcycle accident while out to buy food; and Al Amin from Wari was killed over a land dispute. All of their names were included as martyrs in the government’s official list.
Mahfuzur Rahman, the foundation’s Chief Customer Service Officer, said over 70 individuals have so far been identified for fraudulent inclusion in the list. Among them, the foundation has officially requested the removal of 19 names from the MIS database. Legal actions have been initiated against several, while many others have returned the financial assistance upon being confronted.
Further investigations revealed cases like that of Elias Hossain Hiron from Uttara, who was injured during a personal feud on 7 August last year but later submitted forged medical documents to claim compensation as a wounded protester, receiving a government cheque of Tk200,000. Similarly, Md Liton from Mohammadpur falsely claimed he was injured in protests and managed to withdraw Tk100,000.
“We initially faced immense pressure to quickly disburse financial assistance, which left gaps in verification. But now we have proposed forming a fraud detection team to identify all fake entries,” said Zahid Hossain, Head of Media and Public Relations of the foundation. “With proper verification, we believe another one to one and a half thousand fraudulent names may still be detected.”
Md Mashiur Rahman, Joint Secretary and head of the special cell overseeing the uprising-related matters, said, “There are relatively few objections regarding the martyrs’ list, but many complaints have surfaced concerning the list of the injured. Upon receiving complaints, we forward them to the respective deputy commissioners for re-verification.”
The foundation blames hasty political pressure behind the flawed process, which they say has not only deprived genuine victims but also stained the sanctity of the historic movement.
