DNA test confirms paternity, son wins father’s recognition after 27 yrs
When the child was born, his father was abroad. Before his birth, his parents had already divorced. Having never seen his father, the child grew up at his maternal uncle’s house.
Upon reaching adulthood, he discovered that his father had returned from overseas, remarried, and was residing within the country. The young man decided to confront his father, seeking formal recognition.
However, the father refused to acknowledge him as his son. Eventually, the son submitted an application to the Chattogram office of the National Legal Aid Services Organisation, seeking father’s recognition.
The son finally received that recognition from his father on Tuesday. Twenty-seven years after his birth, the father embraced him for the very first time.
DNA testing was conducted on the mother, father, and son by order of the court. The results conclusively verified that the son’s claim was accurate. The hospital authorities forwarded the DNA report to the Legal Aid office.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the father formally recognised the young man as his child there. Furthermore, the father signed a written undertaking granting him inheritance rights to his property, providing Tk 200,000 to build a house, and pledging to introduce his son to neighbours and relatives.
Speaking about this, Subrata Das, the Legal Aid Officer (Senior Assistant Judge) at the Chittagong Legal Aid office, told Prothom Alo, “The father has recognised his child. The two embraced one another. On behalf of Chittagong Legal Aid, we presented them both with T-shirts as a gesture of appreciation for stepping forward to resolve this long-standing dispute.”
Court sources said that an expatriate from the Rangunia Upazila of the district had married a woman from his neighborhood. However, a dispute arose between the couple prior to the birth of their child. The man divorced his wife and went abroad. He later returned and entered into a second marriage.
Meanwhile, the woman’s son grew up at his maternal home. Upon growing up, the boy sought to know his father’s identity. He rushed to the expatriate just to call him ‘Father’ once. However, the matter remained unresolved. Seeing no progress, the son applied to Chattogram Legal Aid in June 2024, seeking recognition from his father.
The father appeared at the office but was unwilling to accept the young man as his own child. Subsequently, when a DNA test was conducted under court orders, it proved that the son’s claim was entirely correct. Upon receiving the DNA report, the father finally accepted his son and drew him to his chest.
Ershadul Islam, the Chittagong District Legal Aid Officer, told Prothom Alo that the scene of the reunion between the father and son created a deeply moving atmosphere inside the Legal Aid office.
Grateful for receiving recognition 27 years after his birth, the son told Prothom Alo, “For all these years, I could not speak about my father’s identity. People would say all sorts of things. Now that my father has accepted me as his child, I will no longer have to endure cruel remarks from anyone in society. This brings immense joy.”