Hamza’s Independence Award cancelled

In the face of mass criticism, Amir Hamza's independence award has been canceled. The government has dropped the name of Amir Hamza from the list of winners of the Independence Award amid reports of his controversial past.

The Cabinet Division published a revised list of nine individuals and one organisation for the award on Friday after a minister said the authorities would look into the reports.

Many raised eyebrows after the government named Hamza, a little-known ballad singer, for the award posthumously for his contribution to Bengali literature on Tuesday ahead of Independence Day on Mar 26.

In Magura, his birthplace, many knew Hamza as a ballad singer for his ability to write and compose songs effortlessly. Locals said Hamza had worked for the Awami League during an election campaign.

But reports emerged that Hamza was a key suspect in a murder case of 1978. He was sentenced to life in prison but later acquitted on “political grounds”.

Hamza’s son Asaduzzaman is a government official working as the chief executive of Khulna district council. Media reports claimed Asaduzzaman had lobbied for Hamza’s selection for the award.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, who heads the cabinet committee on national awards, said on Thursday that he would check the allegations against Hamza and his literary works.