The members of the armed forces, who lost their jobs during the previous government, have made a three-point demand, including reinstatement of their jobs with full salary and other benefits from the time of dismissal.
This demand was made in a press conference organized by the comrades in the press club auditorium on Wednesday (October 9).
On behalf of the dismissed armed forces members, their chief coordinator, Naimul Islam, said that the previous government, in order to maintain the autocratic regime, some senior officers of the military force, as allies of the fascist government, misused their power in the military force and applied a one-sided justice system. Deprived of due pension, even forcibly subjected to inhumane torture by confining the unit to quarter guards and so-called mirror houses.
He said British martial law is still in force in the army, which is illogical. Under this Act, the army personnel were dismissed from service at various times. As the interim government has taken initiatives to reform various sectors including the constitution, the army should also reform this British martial law.
Apart from this, the army personnel have been fired due to political vendetta at various times. If BNP-Jamaat affiliation is found in the family or among the relatives, he is issued and dismissed from the job for the slightest mistake, which is extremely discriminatory.
He also said that it is a rule of the army that if any complaint is received by the wife without proper investigation, the soldier loses his job. Even if the wife later wants to withdraw her complaint, the superiors continue to intimidate and fire her.
He said some military officers have been establishing autocratic rule by depriving a member of the military of his rightful rights through abuse of power.
He also said that another important disparity in the military is that, while a member of the navy and air force addresses his seniors as sir, in the army, except for commissioned and junior commissioned officers, other seniors are addressed as staff and master. Such terminology is highly inappropriate in a force of international repute and repute like the army. We also want to eliminate this discrimination.
The 3-point demands they raised in the press conference are-
The job must be reinstated with full salary, allowances and other benefits from the time of dismissal. If full service of a member of the armed forces is not possible then they said member of the armed forces shall be covered by full pension with all government facilities.
The legal framework and the one-sided justice system that has led to the dismissal of hundreds of armed forces must be reformed. During this time, coordinator Mostafizur Rahman from the dismissed army, coordinator Md. Korban Ali from the navy also spoke. Abdul Hakim, the coordinator on behalf of the Air Force and Navy member Riazul Karim Mazumder, Air Force Sergeant Reza, Army member Al Amin, Army Sergeant Bashar, Air Force member Tauhidul Islam and others. About two hundred dismissed armed forces members were present at the time.