The Bangladesh Coast Guard has renamed five vessels, including BCGS Joy Bangla and four ships named after prominent leaders of the 1971 Liberation War.
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The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the move. The Awami League strongly objected, calling it an attempt to erase Bangladesh’s founding history.
At A Glance
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Bangladesh Coast Guard has rechristened five vessels, replacing ‘Joy Bangla’ and the names of four prominent Liberation War leaders.
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The four leaders were assassinated inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
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The Awami League has condemned the decision, alleging an attempt to undermine Bangladesh’s historical identity and Liberation War legacy.
The Ministry of Home Affairs approved the renaming exercise, according to local media reports. The changes mark a significant departure from the Coast Guard’s earlier naming tradition, which honoured the country’s Liberation War and its leading figures.
The Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune reported that the Bangladesh Coast Guard renamed BCGS Joy Bangla as BCGS Adommo Bangla. The authorities also renamed four other vessels that previously honoured national leaders assassinated inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
Bangladesh Coast Guard replaces four historic names
Under the revised arrangement, BCGS Syed Nazrul will now be known as BCGS Firoz Kabir. BCGS Tajuddin has become BCGS Nurul Islam.
Similarly, the Coast Guard has renamed BCGS Mansur Ali as BCGS M Humayun Kabir and BCGS Kamruzzaman as BCGS Ashraf Siddiqui.
The changes have removed the names of four prominent leaders who played important roles in organising Bangladesh’s independence struggle.
The four leaders were Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain M. Mansur Ali and A. H. M. Kamaruzzaman. They were senior Awami League leaders and key organisers of the 1971 Liberation War.
Their assassination inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975, remains a significant episode in Bangladesh’s political history.
Awami League calls renaming an attack on national identity
The Awami League has strongly criticised the BNP government’s decision, describing it as an alarming attack on Bangladesh’s historical identity.
The party objected to both the removal of the four national leaders’ names and the replacement of BCGS Joy Bangla with BCGS Adomya Bangla.
In a statement, the Awami League said the decision came just days after the country observed Jail Killing Day. It argued that the move involved more than changing the names of government vessels.
The party expressed concern that the decision reflected an apparent attempt to erase the symbols, legacy and values associated with the 1971 Liberation War.
Bangladesh observes Jail Killing Day every year on November 3 to commemorate the assassination of the four senior Awami League leaders inside Dhaka Central Jail in 1975.
Party links decision to changing political alignment
The Awami League also connected the renaming exercise to what it described as a broader attempt to distance Bangladesh from its founding ideals.
The party referred to political developments during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration and the present BNP government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
It particularly criticised the BNP government’s political relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami, a radical Islamist organisation.
The Awami League alleged that Jamaat’s leadership had collaborated in the 1971 genocide. It argued that the political developments under Yunus and Tarique Rahman reflected a disturbing effort to redefine Bangladesh by weakening its connection with the history of independence.
The party described Yunus’s proposed ‘reset’ and Tarique Rahman’s political alignment with Jamaat as part of a pattern that could undermine the country’s founding principles.
These allegations formed a central part of the party’s objection to the Coast Guard’s decision.
Awami League defends significance of Joy Bangla
The party also emphasised the historical and national significance of the slogan ‘Joy Bangla’.
According to the Awami League, the expression does not belong exclusively to any political organisation. Instead, it represents Bangladesh, its people, the 1971 Liberation War and the country’s freedom.
The party claimed that it had consistently defended the ideals of 1971 and served as their political custodian.
It maintained that protecting the legacy of the Liberation War had become particularly important amid the country’s changing political circumstances.
Call to protect Bangladesh’s Liberation War legacy
Reiterating its opposition to the renaming decision, the Awami League urged citizens to resist any attempt to erase or rewrite Bangladesh’s history.
The party called upon patriotic Bangladeshis to unite and raise their voices against forces it accused of weakening the foundations of the country.
It warned that the country’s historical identity, national heritage and hard-won freedom must not be compromised.
Concluding its statement, the Awami League issued a direct appeal to protect the legacy of the 1971 Liberation War and preserve the significance of Joy Bangla.
“Stop the attack on Bangladesh’s identity. Protect 1971. Protect Joy Bangla,” the party said. (Edited by Enewstime Desk)