The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

After a lapse of nearly four years, the hearing on the appeals against the trial court verdict in the Jail Killing case began on Sunday before the High Court to confirm the destiny of the convicts, all of them former army officers.

A division bench comprising Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury and Ataur Rahman Khan took up the appeals for hearing.

On October 20, 2004, a Dhaka court sentenced three to death, awarded life imprisonment to 12 and acquitted five in the long-awaited verdict in the historic Jail Killing Case.

The carnage took place inside Dhaka Central Jail in the early hours of November 3, 1975 killing four national leaders-Syed Nazrul Islam, the acting president of Bangladesh government in exile, Tajuddin Ahmed, prime minister, M Mansur Ali, finance minister, and AHM Qamaruzzaman, minister of home affairs, relief and rehabilitation.

Of the total 21 charge-sheeted accused, three are in custody, five on bail, 12 fugitives, and one is long dead and buried in the passage of time.

Three of the 12 awarded life term in jail-Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farook Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda-are in the Dhaka Central Jail now.

The killings, seen as a desperate act of power usurpers, came 79 days after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family on August 15, 1975.

In a belated trial, the court convicted and ordered to go to the gallows Resalder (retd) Muslemuddin, Dafadar (dismissed) Marfat Ali Shah and Dafadar (dismissed) Abul Hashem Mridha-all on the run.

Those awarded life imprisonment are Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farook Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, Lt Col (dismissed) Khondaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col (relieved) Shariful Haq Dalim, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Maj (Retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Major (relieved) Ahmed Sharful Hossain, Capt (retd) Abdul Mazed, Captain (relieved) Kismat Hashem, and Captain (relieved) Nazmul Hossain Ansar.

Farook Rahman, Shahriar Rashid, Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed are in jail while the rest of the convicts are on the run.

Ten of the convicts in this case were earlier awarded death penalty in the Bangabandhu Murder Case, now pending with the Supreme Court for appeal hearings.