The High Court HC) has warned the officials of Bangladesh Bank (BB), who were involved in writing and publishing a book that contained distorted history of the central bank as well as the country’s Liberation War.
The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali issued the warning in its verdict over the distortion of history in the book.
In the verdict, it was said that at first the officials concerned committed the crime by distorting the history in the history book of Bangladesh Bank, later their offence had faded due to the relentless and diligent efforts they had made to correct the mistake.
The book ‘Bangladesh Bank Er Itihash’ (History of Bangladesh Bank) was published in December, 2017. Later, a Bengali daily newspaper published reports saying Ayub Khan and ‘ghost of Pakistan’ are in the book, but there is no mention of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League government’s role.
The BB governor had ordered a halt to distribution of the book on September 15 in 2018 following criticism on the social media and publication of the reports. A committee headed by a deputy governor was also formed to re-edit the book.
Meanwhile, Kazi Ertaza Hassan, an FBCCI director, filed a writ petition to the High Court attaching the reports.
The Higher Court on October 2 in 2018 ordered the government to investigate the allegation. It also asked the government in a set of rules as to why distorting history by printing photos of Ayub Khan and Monaem Khan and dropping Bangabandhu’s image should not be declared beyond the legal authority of the publisher.
The investigation committee of the government headed by Additional Finance Secretary Md Zafar Uddin later submitted their report to the High Court. The committee named six officials involved in publishing the book and said there was a lack of coordination between the panels formed for editing and research.
The High Court on February 19 in 2019 ordered the book on Bangladesh Bank be withdrawn for distorting history. The court also summoned the book’s editor Subhankar Saha. Accepting the responsibility for distorting the Liberation War history in the book, Subhankar Saha offered apology before the High Court.
The central bank formed an advisory committee and an editorial committee when it decided to prepare the manuscript and publish the book in 2013 during the time of the bank’s former governor Atiur Rahman.
The task of editing the book changed hand several times. The then spokesman for the central bank and an executive director Saha was finally given the job to edit it. Before Saha, Mahafuzur Rahman, another spokesman and executive director, edited the book. Both of them have retired.
