In Bagatipara, Natore, allegations have surfaced against Babul Hossain, who has been allegedly withdrawing a freedom fighter pension since 2018 by falsely declaring his deceased uncle as his father on official documents.

It is alleged that out of greed for the pension, Babul excluded his real father’s name, retained his mother's name, and falsely listed his deceased uncle as his father on his national identity card. Babul Hossain (39) has been regularly withdrawing the freedom fighter pension from the Sonali Bank Bagatipara branch.

Babul Hossain is the son of Md. Tayeb Ali (77) and Mrs. Jarina Begum (60) from Dumrai (Dhakapara) village in Doyarampur Union of Bagatipara Upazila.

According to local sources, freedom fighter Ayub Ali Sheikh died in a road accident in 1979. At that time, he was unmarried. Six years after his death, Babul Hossain was born in 1985. Despite this, Babul Hossain has allegedly been withdrawing the freedom fighter pension for about six years by falsely declaring his uncle as his father.

The Upazila Election Office stated that Md. Babul Hossain was born in 1985 and became a voter in 2008. According to the birth certificate and national identity card information, in 2008, his father’s name was listed as Md. Tayeb Ali, and his mother's name was Jarina Begum. However, in 2018, to obtain the freedom fighter pension, he allegedly modified his national identity card to change his father's name to his uncle, Ayub Ali Sheikh.

Local resident and freedom fighter Anwar Hossain stated that he and Ayub Ali studied together from childhood. Both received training under the Indian allied forces and fought in Sector 7 during the Liberation War. Ayub Ali, an unmarried freedom fighter, died many years before Babul Hossain was born. Babul Hossain is the youngest son of Ayub Ali's brother, Tayeb Ali.

Md. Babul Hossain claimed that his uncle Ayub Ali adopted him as a foster son when he was young. His first birth registration and national ID mistakenly listed Tayeb Ali as his biological father. Later, after discussing with the Upazila freedom fighter commanders, he changed the name from Tayeb Ali to Ayub Ali Sheikh with their assistance.

Deputy Commander of the Bagatipara Freedom Fighter Council, Azizur Rahman, stated that he is aware of Babul Hossain's situation. During the time Babul Hossain amended his national ID, Azad Hossain was the Upazila Deputy Commander, who assisted in the correction of Babul's documents. Former Deputy Commander Azad Hossain is no longer recognized as a freedom fighter; his name was removed from the gazette in 2019, and his pension was stopped in 2023.

When Azad Hossain was asked about this, he replied that he is not well and cannot speak. He also mentioned that he was not in charge at the time.

Bagatipara Upazila Executive Officer Anamika Nazrul said she was unaware of the matter but would take action after reviewing the documents.