‘Involvement in murder’: Amir Hamza excluded from Independence Award
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 Amir Hamza, a little-known ballad singer, for the award posthumously for his contribution to Bengali literature on Tuesday ahead of Independence Day on March 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.
