HC asks govt to confiscate all copies of ‘Bangladesh Bank-er Itihas’ from market

The High Court today directed the authorities concerned of the government to immediately confiscate all the copies of the book titled “Bangladesh Bank-er Itihas (History of Bangladesh Bank)” from the market, as some of its contents contain distorted history.

Bangladesh Bank in last December 2017 published the book in which a picture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not included, and his contribution in establishing Bangladesh Bank was not mentioned in detail.

Today, the HC also summoned Shuvangkar Saha, editor of the book and executive director of Bangladesh Bank, to appear before it on March 12 to explain about the distortion of history in the book.

The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohammad Ali passed the order after examining a probe report that found the allegation to be true.

A four-member committee led by Additional Finance Secretary Dr Md Zafar Uddin submitted the probe report to the HC on February 18 saying that there was inconsistency in editorial committee of the book and there was lack of coordination between the research committee and editorial committee concerned of the book.  

Shuvangkar Saha confessed to the probe committee that the picture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman could be included in the book, but it did not come to the mind of anybody of the editorial committee and it would be better if the pictures of Aiyub Khan, the then president of Pakistan, and Monem Khan, the then East Pakistan provincial governor, would not be included in the book.

The HC on October 2 last year directed the finance secretary to form a probe committee to inquire into the distortion of history in the book titled “Bangladesh Bank-er Itihas.

The court delivered the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Dr Kazi Ertaza Hasan, chairperson of Bangladesh Human Rights Development Commission, challenging the distortion of history in the book.

The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why the distortion of the history of Bangladesh in the book should not be declared illegal.

Petitioner's lawyer Barrister ABM Altaf Hossain told The Daily Star that in the book, pictures of then Pakistan president Ayub Khan and then East Pakistan provincial governor Abdul Monem Khan have been published, and therefore, the independence and the Liberation War of Bangladesh have been diminished due to this act.

Advocate Zubayer Rahman appeared for Bangladesh Bank, while Deputy Attorney General Al Amin Sarker represented the state.

Source: thedailystar