Amir Hamza dropped from Swadhinata Padak 2022, new list published

The government cancelled Md Amir Hamza’s name (posthumously) from the Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award) 2022 list for his contribution to literature.
Amir Hamza’s name in the Independence Awards-2022 list led to various discussions and criticisms in the media. After this, the decision to cancel his name was announced by the government high ups.
He had a murder case registered against him 44 years ago. The murder took place in 1978 in Barishat village of Sreepur upazila of Magura. Six people, including Amir Hamza, were sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.
The Cabinet Division published a new list of winners of the Independence Award 2022 after dropping Amir Hamza, said a revised press release issued by the Cabinet Division today.
According to the press release, the government has decided to confer nine individuals and one institution for this year’s Independence Award, for their outstanding contributions to the country.
According to the new announcement, six recipients of the award — Ilias Ahmed Chowdhury, Col Khandoker Nazmul Huda (posthumous), Abdul Jalil, Siraj Uddin Ahmed, Md Sohiuddin Biswas (posthumous), Sirajul Haque (posthumous) — have been named for their contributions to the Liberation War in 1971.
Prof Dr Konok Kanti Borua and Prof Dr Md Kamrul Islam will be awarded for their contributions in the medicine sector while Mainul Hossain for architecture.
Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute will receive the award in the research and training category, added the release.
Earlier, on March 15, the government issued a notification by picking 10 individuals including Amir Hamza and one institution for this year’s Swadhinata Padak.
Amir Hamza, who had served in jail for nine years in the murder case, died in 2019, reports our Jhenaidah correspondent.
After reports of his controversial background following Amir Hamza’s name in the Independence Awards-2022, this correspondent visited Barishat village yesterday.
Talking to this correspondent, Md Rezaul Haque Mollah (77), brother of life-term awardee Afjal Mollah, said he was an eyewitness of Shahadat Hossain Fakir murder case. Amir Hamza had a quarrel with the victim in 1978 over damaging crops by Amir’s cattle.
Over such a trivial matter, Amir stabbed Shahadat’s chest with a spear while his brother Golam Rabbani stabbed his abdomen. Instantly, Shahadat was taken to his house and died after a few minutes, said Rezaul.
Shahidul Islam (56), son of Shahadat Fakir, told The Daily Star, “After my father’s death, we got into a serious crisis. All four of my brothers were minors. There was no one to help. In this situation, a relative, on our behalf, had filed the case.”
The court had sentenced six people to life imprisonment seven years after the murder case, he said.
Among the six convicts. five, including Amir Hamza and his brother Golam Rabbani, died. However, one of the convicts, Afzal Mollah (82), is still alive. This corresponded visited his house in Barishat village yesterday.
Talking to the correspondent, Afzal Mollah admitted that six people, including Amir Hamza had been imprisoned in the murder case.
After serving almost nine years in jail, he along with Amir Hamza and others were released in 1991, said Afzal.