Jail Killing Day
Encyclopedia
Jail Killing Day is observed by the Awami League (AL) of Bangladesh
and many other political organization on November 3 each year. It commemorates the killing of four Awami League leaders: former Vice President
Syed Nazrul Islam
, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Tajuddin Ahmed and Captain (Rtd.) Mansur Ali, and former Home Minister A H M Quamruzzaman on this date in 1975. The men were shot by army officials inside Dhaka Central Jail
. Those killers, later, got indirect benefits from two President of Bangladesh
Ziaur Rahman
and Hossain Mohammad Ershad
.
Nearly 29 years after the killings, those responsible went to trial. In the judgement, which was pronounced on October 20, 2004, during the premiership
of Begum Khaleda Zia
, three fugitive former army personnel were sentenced to death, 12 former army personnel were awarded life term imprisonment and five people, including four senior politicians, like Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) leaders A K M Obaidur Rahman and Manzur Hossain, were acquitted.
On August 28, 2008, the High Court
division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh
acquitted six former military men of the Jail Killing Case. Those who were found not guilty of the crime include Syed Faruque Rahman
, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda and A K M Mohiuddin Ahmed, all these men were executed in 2009 for their involvement in Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
. This acquittal is being appealed to the Appellate Division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh
by the prosecution.
The individuals who received life imprisonment included:
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and many other political organization on November 3 each year. It commemorates the killing of four Awami League leaders: former Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Syed Nazrul Islam
Syed Nazrul Islam
Syed Nazrul Islam was a Bangladeshi politician and a senior leader of the Awami League. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he served as the acting President of Bangladesh in the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.-Early life:...
, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the Head of the Government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate...
Tajuddin Ahmed and Captain (Rtd.) Mansur Ali, and former Home Minister A H M Quamruzzaman on this date in 1975. The men were shot by army officials inside Dhaka Central Jail
Dhaka Central Jail
Dhaka Central Jail is the largest jail in Bangladesh, located in the old section of Dhaka, the country's capital. The jail has been used to house criminals as well as political prisoners, especially during the Language Movement of 1952, the 6 Point Movement, and the Bangladesh Liberation War....
. Those killers, later, got indirect benefits from two President of Bangladesh
President of Bangladesh
Since 1991, the President of Bangladesh is the head of state, a largely ceremonial post elected by the parliament. Since 1996, the President's role becomes more important after the term of the government has finished, when his executive authority is enhanced as laid down in the constitution of the...
Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...
and Hossain Mohammad Ershad
Hossain Mohammad Ershad
Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad is a Bangladeshi politician who was President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990. Previously, he was Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army and then Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1982....
.
Nearly 29 years after the killings, those responsible went to trial. In the judgement, which was pronounced on October 20, 2004, during the premiership
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is the Head of the Government of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate...
of Begum Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia
Begum Khaleda Zia is the former First Lady of Bangladesh , and then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history and second in the Muslim world to head a democratic government as prime minister. She served again from 2001 until...
, three fugitive former army personnel were sentenced to death, 12 former army personnel were awarded life term imprisonment and five people, including four senior politicians, like Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
(BNP) leaders A K M Obaidur Rahman and Manzur Hossain, were acquitted.
On August 28, 2008, the High Court
High Court
The term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...
division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court of Bangladesh
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate division, and was created by Part VI Chapter I of the Constitution of Bangladesh adopted in 1972. This is also the office of the Chief Justice, Appellate Division...
acquitted six former military men of the Jail Killing Case. Those who were found not guilty of the crime include Syed Faruque Rahman
Syed Faruque Rahman
Syed Faruque Rahman was a Bangladeshi army officer who was the chief organiser of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding President of Bangladesh on 15 August 1975...
, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda and A K M Mohiuddin Ahmed, all these men were executed in 2009 for their involvement in Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
The assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took place in the early hours of August 15, 1975, when a group of junior Bangladesh Army officers invaded Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence with tanks...
. This acquittal is being appealed to the Appellate Division of Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Supreme Court of Bangladesh
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate division, and was created by Part VI Chapter I of the Constitution of Bangladesh adopted in 1972. This is also the office of the Chief Justice, Appellate Division...
by the prosecution.
The individuals who received life imprisonment included:
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
(Rtd.) Syed Faruque RahmanSyed Faruque RahmanSyed Faruque Rahman was a Bangladeshi army officer who was the chief organiser of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding President of Bangladesh on 15 August 1975... - Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
(Rtd.) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
(Rtd.) Mohammad Bazlul Huda - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
(Rtd.) A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed - Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
(Rtd.) Khondakar Abdur Rashid (absconded, now living in LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) - Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
(Rtd.) Shariful Haque (Dalim) (absconded, now living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - Lt. Col. S.H.M.B Noor Chowdhury (absconded, now living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - Lt. Col. Rashed Chowdhury (retired) (absconded, now living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - Major Ahmed Sharaful Hossain (retired) (absconded)
- Captain Abdul Majid (retired) (absconded)
- Captain (Rtd.) Mohammad Kismat Hashem (absconded, now living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - Captain (Rtd.) Nazmul Hossain Ansari (absconded, now living in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
)