November 3, 1975. A shameful and painful day in the history of Bangladesh. After the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on 15 August 1975, on 3 November at midnight in a solitary cell of Dhaka Central Jail, the four national leaders, the first interim President of Bangladesh, Syed Nazrul Islam, Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, Cabinet members Captain M Mansoor Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman were brutally and brutally executed. was killed. The enemies of the 1971 independence and liberation war not only shot these four national leaders, the best children of the country, but like cowards they stabbed the wounded bodies with bayonets and extinguished the defeat of the 1971 war. Bengalis were held back from the progress of progress-prosperity. Not only the people of Bangladesh, but the whole world was shocked by this cruel massacre of history.
November 3, another tainted day in the history of the Bengali nation, Bloody Jail Day. November 3 is one of the many days that will forever be marked as black days of independent Bangladesh. One of the few events that have hindered Bangladesh from achieving its desired goals happened on this day in 1975. On this day, after killing Bangabandhu and his family, the murderers tried to kill the father and Bangladesh.
To make the Bengali nation leaderless, 49 years ago on November 3, 1975 at midnight, four great children of the nation, one of the directors of the liberation war, a devoted close companion of the leader of the liberation war and the father of the nation Bangabandhu, four national leaders were ruthlessly and brutally killed in the Dhaka Central Jail. Such heinous, brutal and barbaric murders in the safe haven of prisons are rare in the history of the world.
Earlier, on August 15 of the same year, the great architect of independent Bangladesh, Father of the Nation and then President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. After the assassination of Bangabandhu, these four close colleagues were arrested and sent to the dark cells of the prison. In the subsequent unstable political situation, in the bloody chapter of Q-Palta Q, the enemies of humanity and Bangabandhu’s killers, some misguided army men entered the prison and killed four leaders. Since then, this day is celebrated as Jail Murder Day like every year.
The enemies of the freedom and liberation war killed the best children of the country, four national leaders, and pushed Bengal back from the march of progress and prosperity. Not only the people of Bangladesh, but the whole world was shocked by this cruel massacre of history. The assassination of Bangabandhu and the four national leaders was a continuation of the same conspiracy. The plan, the motive of the treacherous murderers is now clear before the nation. The truth has broken through the fog of falsehood and has come out like a new sun today.
In fact, the killers and their henchmen wanted to avenge the breakup of Pakistan, to throw the country that gained independence through a bloody liberation war and endless sacrifices into a cycle of assassinations and conspiracies. Their aim was to divert the newly independent country from the path of reconstruction and democracy and to create a mini Pakistan out of Bangladesh. The conspiracy of the enemies of freedom did not end here. Since 1975, attempts have been made to erase Bangabandhu’s name and target year after year. Evidence of the direct and indirect involvement of General Ziaur Rahman as the mastermind behind Bangabandhu and Jail murders has come out from the mouths of the self-confessed killers.
A case was registered in Lalbagh police station at that time after the jail killings. But after the murder of Bangabandhu and his family, the investigation and trial of the murder was stopped for 21 years. After coming to power in 1996, the Awami League government revived the process of custodial murder cases. After that, after a long trial of more than eight years, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court announced the verdict of the case on October 20, 2004 during the previous four-party coalition government. Out of the 20 accused, 15 former army officers were convicted and five others acquitted. Among those convicted, three absconding convicts were sentenced to death and 12 others were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Those who received the death sentence are Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah, Risaldar Muslim Uddin alias Hiran Khan and LD Dafadar Md. Abul Hashem Mridha. Colonel (retd) Syed Farooq Rahman, Colonel (retd) Syed Shahriar Rashid, Major (retd) Bajlul Huda, Lieut. Colonel Khandaker Abdur Rashid (retd), Lieut. Colonel Shariful Haque Dalim, Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) MHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Major (Retd) Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Captain (Retd) Abdul Majed, Captain (Retd) Md. Kismat Hossain and Captain (retd) Nazmul Hossain Ansar. The acquitted are BNP leader late KM Obaidur Rahman, Jatiya Party leader Shah Moazzem Hossain, former minister late Taheruddin Thakur, Nurur Islam Manzoor and Major (retd) Khairuzzaman.
On August 28, 2008, the High Court only upheld the death sentence of Risaldar Moslem Uddin, the death sentence of Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and LD Dafadar Md. Abul Hasem Mridha and four other accused Lt. sentenced to life imprisonment. Colonel (dismissed) Syed Farooq Rahman, Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major (Retd.) Bajlul Huda and Lieut. Colonel (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed was acquitted from the case. A bench of the High Court comprising of Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Ataur Rahman Khan gave the verdict after settling the four appeals of the four convicts who were given life imprisonment against the verdict of the lower court and the death reference of the state side.
However, the verdict of the trial after a long period of jail murder was termed as ‘politically motivated’ and ‘farcical verdict’ from various quarters including the family members of the national leader. At the same time the verdict was rejected. They allege that no one has been punished for conspiracy to murder. They demanded re-investigation and re-trial of this most brutal murder in the history of the nation.
Although he was acquitted in the murder case, Lt. Colonel (dismissed) Syed Farooq Rahman, Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) Shahriar Rashid Khan, Major (Retd.) Bajlul Huda and Lieut. Colonel (Retd.) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed – As these four were sentenced to death in the Bangabandhu murder case, their death sentence was executed on January 27, 2010. On the other hand, the lawyers explained that the sentences of the other eight fugitives who were sentenced to life imprisonment have not been given in the judgment of the High Court.
As the Awami League-led grand coalition came to power in the December 29, 2008 elections, the opportunity to re-trial the prison killings came. On January 11, 2011, the Appellate Division granted the government’s appeal. Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and LD (Dafadar) Abul Hashem Mridha, who were sentenced to death by the lower court but acquitted by the High Court, were ordered to surrender immediately. Law enforcement agencies were ordered to arrest them if they did not surrender. On April 30, 2013, the final summary judgment of the Appellate Division overturned the 2008 High Court judgment and upheld the 2004 lower court judgment. That is, the absconding three accused Risaldar Muslim Uddin alias Hiran Khan, Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and LD Dafadar Md. Abul Hashem Mridha was sentenced to death and 12 others were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Even after 49 years of this brutal incident of ’75, we have not received justice. Even today, Law Minister Anisul Haque said that the trial will be completed quickly. We expect the same. Just like the trial of Bangabandhu’s murder and the trial of war criminals during the tenure of leader Sheikh Hasina, the same will be the trial of the murder of four national leaders. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu, long live Bangladesh.
Author: Editor and Publisher, Dainik Bhorer Pata, The People’s Time
Vice President, Satkhira District Awami League
Tags: Bloody jail killings killing Bangladesh
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