Dhaka - The head of the BBC's Bengali-language section has been removed amid a controversy over his alleged roles in Bangladesh's 1971 independence war and the 1975 coup, the official BSS news agency said yesterday.
Mr Syed Mahmud Ali, a former army major, was removed by the BBC from his London-based position after a complaint from the Bangladesh government prompted by an interview he gave in Dhaka's Bengali daily, Janakantha, in February.
BSS said Dhaka demanded action against Mr Ali after he reportedly confessed in the interview that as a former Pakistani army officer he worked against those seeking independence for Bangladesh in the 1971 war.