Bring to justice killers of four national leaders
The sooner
the killers of
the four national leaders are brought to
justice the
better
The Jail Killing Day was observed throughout the country yesterday with due respect to the four national leaders. On this day 41 years ago, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain (Retd) Mansur Ali and AHM Kamruzzamnan, who had been at the helm of Bangladeshs Liberation War, were brutally killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail 79 days after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members.
It is shocking that these gruesome murders were continuation of the brutal murders at Bangabandhus house as after that tragedy the four towering leaders were arrested and put behind bars by the nefarious usurpers of power at that time. The four national leaders were wiped out to ensure that none of the prominent personalities who had led the glorious independence struggle remained alive to rekindle the spirit of the liberation war and get back at the killers to oust them from power and avenge the killings.
People from all strata of life recalled with heavy heart the sad murders of four great sons of the country whose contributions to the war of liberation were immense. The manner the killers forced their way into the jail and shot dead the leaders in their most helpless conditions defies explanation. The four national leaders were the great sources of inspiration for the freedom fighters. From forming the government in exile in India to presiding over that government during the nine-month long liberation war, and their steering successfully the newborn countrys affairs amid hostile circumstances earned the admiration of the people.
It is clear that the killers and their patrons wanted to erase the name of the Liberation War heroes from the soil of Bangladesh and create a void in the leadership of the nation. But their remembrance by a grateful nation vindicates that the killers have failed for good in their sinister aims. Though a murder case in connection with the jail killings was lodged with Lalbagh Police Station on November 4, 1975, the then government halted the trial process by promulgating an ordinance that indemnified the assassins. It was only after an Awami League-led government came back to power that justice was done. In a verdict, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for three former army personnel and life imprisonment for eight others for killing the four national leaders. However, all three are absconding and are yet to face justice. The government should try and sign extradition treaties with the governments of the countries for the purpose where the killers are believed to be in hiding. The sooner the killers of the four national leaders are brought to justice, the better.
