Colombo, February 12:
Bangladesh is today a South Asian Tiger in economic development. But its early years as an independent country were blood-soaked. Born as a result of a liberation war in 1971 it had to go through a series of brutal assassinations, military coups, counter coups, attempted coups, military dictatorships and mutinies before it settled down to peaceful economic growth under the Premiership of Sheikh Hasina from 2009onwards.
Following the assassination of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the slaughter of 14 members of his family on August 15, 1975 by junior army officers, four of Mujib’s political colleagues, namely, former Prime MinistersTajuddin Ahmed and Mansur Ali, former Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, and President of the Awami League A. H. M. Qamaruzzamanwere gunned down in their prison cell by a group of junior army officers on November 3, 1975.
Although investigations were launched against these killings, the anti-Awami League governments which followed the elimination of Sheikh Mujib, not only conducted the investigations and the trials lackadaisically, but were exceptionally indulgent towards the assassins and the conspirators, introducing an indemnity law to set them free and allow them to flee. Some were rehabilitated with plum jobs.When the Awami League came to power, the cases would be pursued and the guilty would be punished. But justice could not be done fully as many of the guilty were hiding abroad. The extradition of one of them, Maj.Khairuzzaman,who had been made High Commissioner in Malaysia, is now being sought to re-examine his release from the jail murders case. When the Sheikh Hasina regime recalled him in 2009, he refused to come back and got refuge in Malaysia.
Jail Killings
The assassins of the Awami League leaders publicly owned their deed because they had the support of the military-backed successor regime of Khondekar Mushtaque Ahmad. Mushtaque, who was privy to the massacre, gleefully hailed the killers as “Soorjo Shontan” (sons of the sun). He also passed the “Indemnity Ordinance” to let the killers go scot free. Subsequently, military dictator Gen. Zia ur Rahman, who also tacitly backed the killings, put the Indemnity Ordinance into the statute book to better protectthe murderers. The next military dictator Gen H.M. Ershad took no action on the assassination cases. Even the elected government of Begum Khaleda Zia, which came into existence in 1991, did nothing because her husband, former President Gen.Zia–ur-Rahman, had supportedthe assassins. It was only when Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996 that the assassination cases moved forward.
In 2004, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court held 15 of the 20 accused ex-army officers guilty and released the other five. Among those convicted, 3 fugitives were given capital punishment and other 12 got life sentences.Three were discharged.
The ones who got death sentence were: Sentry Marfot Ali Shah, Sergeant Moslemuddin alias Hiron Khan and Sentry Mohammad AbulHashem Mridha. Those given life sentence were: Col. Syed Faruque Rahman, Col. Syed Shahriar Rashid, Maj. Bazlul Huda, Lt. Col.Khondokar Abdur Rashid, Lt. Col. SharifulHaque Dalim, Lt. Col. MHMB Nur Chowdhury, Lt. Col.AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lt. Col.AM Rashed Chowdhury, Maj Ahmed SharifulHossain, Capt.Abdul Majed, Capt.MohammadKismat Hossain and Capt. Nazmul Hossain Ansar.
Those released were Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader KM Obayedur Rahman, JatiyaParty leader Shah Moazzem Hossain, ex minister Taher Uddin Thakur, Nurur Islam Monjur and Maj.M. Khairuzzaman.
The High Court, to which the case moved, gave its verdict in 2008. It maintained the death sentence on Sgt. Moslemuddin but released the other two who had been given the death sentence. Lt. Col. Syed Faruqe Rahman, Lt. Col.Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj. Bazlul Huda and Lt. Col.AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed were also released.
The family members of the national leaders and the Awami League dubbed the verdict as farcical and atrocious. They justifiably complained that nobody was given punishment for planning and directing the assassinations. They demanded re-investigation and re-trial.
However, tthough released from the jail Killing case, Lt. Col. Syed Faruqe Rahman, Lt. Col. Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj. Bazlul Huda and Lt. Col. AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed had been given the death sentence in the case relating to the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. They were executed on 27th January 2010.
When the Awami League came to power again in December 2008, the jail killings case was re-opened. In November 2012, the prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court. On 30th April of 2013, the court dismissed the verdict given by the High Court in 2008 and endorsed the verdict given by the lower court in 2004. Accordingly, the three fugitives, Sgt. Moslemuddin alias Hiron Khan, Sentry MarfotAli Shah and Sentry Mohammad Abul Hashem Mridha, were given the death sentence and the other 12 got life imprisonment.
Maj.Khiruzzzaman was let off the hook. Among those still absconding are: Lt.Col.KhondekarAbdul Rashid, Lt.Col.Shariful Haque Dalim, Maj.Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Lt.Col.RashidChowdhury, Capt.M.Kismat Hossain, and Capt.Najmul Hossain Ansar. Capt. Abdul Majid was caught and executed in 2020. Maj. M.Khairuzamman is now in the net awaiting extradition from Malaysia.
Continued Violence
Violent unrest in Bangladesh’s political arena and the military did not end with the killing of Mujibur Rahman, his family and his four political colleagues in 1975. Internecine violence continued in the Bangladesh military.
On 3 November 1975, the day of the jail killings, Gen.Khalid Mosharraf led a coup against the Khondekar Mushtaq Ahmad’s government. But on 7 November, Mosharaffhimself was assassinated by forces loyal to Mushtaque and army chief Zia ur Rahman. In 1977, Zia ur Rahman took over from President Abu Sayem. General Zia was ruthless, executing at least 200 soldiers who tried to overthrow him in October 1977. But Zia, who had faced 21 assassination attempts, was finally killed in anattempted led by Maj. Gen. Mohammad Abdul Manzoor in May 1981.
After the assassination of Zia, Gen. H.M. Ershad supported Vice President Abdus Sattar,who succeeded Zia as President. He ordered the army to suppress a coup attempt made by Zia’s associates, allegedly led by Maj. Gen. AbulMonjur. But on March 24, 1982, Ershad toppled President Sattar in a bloodless coup. Ershadformally took over as Bangladesh President on December 11, 1983.
Ershad militarized the administration, giving a place for the military in the local bodies. But he encouraged economic development. He got the support of the masses by giving prominence to Islam. However, his dictatorial tendency, high corruption and election malpractices made him unpopular, especially among University students. He quit in 1990 when even his army colleagues wanted him out.
In 1996, Army chief Abu Saleh Nasimattempted to overthrow the then President,Abdur Rahman Biswas, but key units of the army did not cooperate and defended the President. Nasim was arrested but was later honorably discharged by Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Explaining the frequency of coups and unrest in the Bangladesh army from 1975 onwards till recently, an informed source said that the Bangladesh army was born in a politically surcharged and violent atmosphere. It was part and parcel of the armed liberation struggle and was therefore highly politicized from the very beginning. And because the military was armed, issues in it and issues with the political leadership tended to be settled by violence and murders.
But the army changed when Bangladesh moved from politics to economic development under Sheikh Hasina since 2009. Additionally, knowing the power of the army and its political past, Sheikh Hasina has been respectful and accommodating to its need for good pay and other facilities. The army gets the weapons it wants and from its favored sources too. A peaceful Bangladesh has also got the army good income from UN Peacekeeping assignments. No wonder the loyal army helped Hasina put down a mutiny in the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in February 2009 in which 50 were killed. In 2013, 152 BDR rebels were sentenced to death and 157 got life sentence.
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