All efforts on to bring back Jail killers

The government's efforts still continues to bring back the fugitive convicts of the Jail Killing Case believed to be staying abroad as the nation is set to observe the 40th Jail Killing Day on Tuesday, officials said.

"Diplomatic and legal efforts are on to bring back the fugitive convicts" of the four national leaders who were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3 in 1971, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Advocate Anisul Huq told BSS this evening.

"There are some satisfactory progresses in this connection and the convicts will be brought back following the due process of law," the minister said without detailing.

Earlier, a high police official preferring anonymity, said the regular communication are being maintained with different international organizations specially Interpol to track down whereabouts of the fugitive convicts in the Jail Killing Case.

On November 3 in 1975, just after 78 days of the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his close associates and four Liberation War heroes -- acting president of Bangladesh government in exile in 1971 Syed Nazrul Islam, prime minister of the same government Tajuddin Ahmed, finance minister M Mansur Ali and minister for home affairs, relief and rehabilitation AHM Qamaruzzaman -- were brutally killed by some disgruntled Army officers inside the Dhaka Central Jail. On the next day, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of prisons Kazi Abdul Awal filed a murder case with Lalbagh Police Station in this connection.

But the investigation and trials had been withheld until Awami league government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed the office in 1996. After 23 years of filing the case, the charge sheet in the Jail Killing Case was submitted before the court on October 15 in 1998.

The Appellate Division upheld death penalty of three former army personnel and life-term imprisonment of eight others in the case on April 30 last year upon a government appeal challenging the High Court verdict.

The death penalty awarded convicts are: Risalder (retd) Muslemuddin, Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abdul Hashem Mridha.

While the eight convicts who were handed down life term imprisonment are Lt Col (dismissed) Khondaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col (relieved) Shariful Haq Dalim, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Maj (relieved) Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Capt (retd) Abdul Majed, Capt (relieved) Kismat Hasem and Capt (relieved) Nazmul Hossain. All the convicts are on the run.

Earlier on October in 2004, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's court convicted and sentenced three army personnel - Muslemuddin, Marfat Ali Shah and Abdul Hashem Mridha - to death and handed down life term imprisonment to 12 others.

Four of the 12 convicts - Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahrier Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed (lancer) - were already executed in the Bangabandhu assassination case. On August 28, 2008, the HC upheld the capital punishment of Muslemuddin and acquitted Marfat and Hashem.

It also acquitted Farooq, Shahrier, Mohiuddin and Bazlul Huda. The government filed an appeal with the SC in 2009 against the HC verdict, appealing to the SC to uphold the trial court's verdict. In 2011, the SC exempted Farooq, Shahrier, Mohiuddin and Bazlul Huda from the case as they were already executed.

Although 40 years elapsed since the killing of four liberation war heroes in captivity in Dhaka Central Jail, the government is yet to execute the court order against the 11 convicted killers, as they are hiding abroad.

According to media reports and police sources, seven of the fugitives are still absconding in different countries. Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd.) Khondakar Abdur Rashid is now living in Libya and Pakistan while five others -Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd.) Shariful Haque alias Dalim, Lt. Col. S.H.M.B Noor Chowdhury, Lt. Col. Rashed Chowdhury (retired), Mohammad Kismat Hashem and Captain (Rtd.) Nazmul Hossain Ansari are now living in Canada.

Besides, Major Ahmed Sharaful Hossain (retired) and Captain Abdul Majid (retired) still remained untraced. Talking to BSS, former Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, the eldest son of late AHM Quamaruzzaman, expressed his resentment for the sluggish process of bringing back the fugitive killers of his father and others.

Liton, Awami League (AL) central committee member and the president of Rajshahi city unit of AL, said, "We are hopeful about the court verdict against the brutal killings inside the jail and want to see the execution of it properly.

"Referring to the assassination of Bangabandhu along with most his family members, he also mentioned that those were the same assailants who killed the Father of the Nation on the fateful night in 1975.