How Four National Leaders Were Assassinated Inside Prison

Today is Jail Killing Day. The day is being observed as the second most shocking incident in Bangladesh after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on 15 August 1975. Less than three months after the murder of August 15, Bangladesh's national leaders and most valiant heroes of the Liberation War of 1971 Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman were assassinated inside the Dhaka Central Jail on 3 November 1975.

These four leaders played a key role in forming the Mujibnagar Government in exile, which led to the Liberation War in 1971. Syed Nazrul Islam served as the acting president, Tajuddin Ahmad as the prime minister, Mansur Ali as the finance minister, and AHM Quamruzzaman as the home, relief, and rehabilitation minister.

The most hated traitor member of the cabinet of Bangabandhu, the self-claimed president Khandaker Mushtaque Ahmad and the other two killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Colonel (Retd) Syed Faruque Rahman and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Khandaker Abdur Rashid had worked out the heinous killing spree of the four national leaders inside the jail.

To execute the killing plan, a five-member killing squad was also formed, led by Resalder Musleh Uddin, who was very close to Colonel (Retd) Faruque Rahman.  Musleh Uddin also led the group that carried out the assassination at Sheikh Moni's residence on August 15.The renowned journalist Anthony Mascarenhas has given a detailed description of this in his book "Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood."

A probe commission was formed in London to investigate the murder of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on August 15, 1975, and four national leaders who were killed in Dhaka Central Jail on November 3.

The probe commission was formed following an appeal lodged by Bangabandhu's two daughters, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, Mohammad Selim, the son of the slain leader Mansur Ali, and Syed Ashraful Islam, the son of the slain leader Syed Nazrul Islam.

At that time, the probe commission became ineffective due to non-cooperation by the Bangladesh government led by former President Ziaur Rahman and their refusal to provide visas to the probe commission members, according to allegations from Awami League.

However, the nation recalls the four national leaders with due respect on this day every year. Following the upside down political situation all over Bangladesh since the overthrow of fascist Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, all Awami League leaders have either escaped from Bangladesh or are hiding inside the country. A broad number of ministers and MPs belonging to the ousted Awami League government have been meanwhile arrested.

Sheikh Hasina was thrown away from her Prime Minister post which she held fast by force longer than 15 years trampling all democratic principles, rigging elections one after another, violating human rights, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, crackdown on critical voices including newspapers, showing excessive loyalty to a big neighbour, patronizing corruption and irregularities across the state machineries including banks, nepotism, discrepancies and so on.

A lot of media outlets and prominent citizens who believe in the 1971 spirit over and over again called upon Sheikh Hasina to take strong actions against corruption, financial anarchy, infiltration, rampaged banking system, dishonest bureaucrats etcetera but Sheikh Hasina did not pay heed to them. Rather Sheikh Hasina accepted huge sums of bribes and kickbacks from digital bank robbers and financial thugs who took photographs with ex Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina all smiles and those pictures flooded newspapers and social media in no time. Sheikh Hasina could inherit no leadership quality from her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Hasina has paid the ultimate price for her own political ignorance, greed for outlawed money and insatiable lust for clinging to power in all tyrannical ways.