His houses and properties have been looted and with injury marks of bullets on his chest and back, he had been fleeing as an ‘absconding criminal’ for the last 20 years. After the change of political scenario of the country in 1975, the defeated forces of the Liberation War had been chasing him the way described above.
It was in 2011, he came to learn that he has been awarded the title ‘Bir Bikram’ for his extraordinary show and contribution during the War of Liberation in 1971.
But, there was an anomaly in the serial number and it took him nine-year further to correct the serial number and after fifty years of Liberation War, his name has been included in the Gazette as the ‘Bir Birkam’.
The name of the hero is Abdul Khaleque, son of late Kamir Uddin Mondol of village Chapal under Godagari upazila of Rajshahi. He is now 83. He got his title as Bir Bikram at the gazette of Freedom Fighters published on June 6.
According to sources. Abdul Khaleque joined the Pakistan Army on June 1 in 1963 but he abandoned the job in 1969 and returned to the country to join Freedom struggle.
He had been fighting at sector 7 during the war of liberation. On September 5, sustained bullet on his chest shot by Pakistani army but he survived somehow.
After the changing of the political scenario in 1975, anti-liberation forces start to torture on him and his family members. He looted their houses and properties and filed several cases against him. As a result, to evade arrest, he fled home and started to lead an uncertain life.
Abul Hasnat, son of Abdul Khaleque, watched a list of Freedom Fighters in 2011 and applied for correction of the erroneous gazette.
But, the application was missing from the ministry concerned. Last year, he applied freshly and at a notification published on March 24, Abdul Khaleque was awarded the title Bir Bikram.
