Sukumar Sarkar
It needs no emphasizing that Major Ziaur Rahman devised the killing of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members to meet his demonic greed for achieving power and Abdul Mazed was one of his arsenals.
Zia patronised the killers of Bangabandhu and stop the process of trial including Mazed's one by proclaiming the indemnity ordinance. Zia rewarded Abdul Mazed who is a self-proclaimed killer of Bangabandhu providing him with important position in the governance.
Reportedly, after Bangabandhu’s assassination, he worked at Bangabhaban and other places following the instructions of Major Zia. Mazed participated in the killing directly, and was present downstairs along with three other killers. After the brutal killing, he worked in the radio station with other army cohorts of the carnage. Mazed had also worked along with the officials who staged the coup in Bangabhaban before fleeing the country.
He, along with other convicted criminals of the carnage, went to Libya from Bangladesh via Bangkok by order of the then Army chief Zia. He stayed there for nearly three months with other officials who staged the coup.
At that time, Zia rewarded those officials with transfers to Bangladesh embassies in different countries. As part of the reward, Mazed received a transfer order granted by Major Zia to the embassy in Senegal.
General Zia protected Bangabandhu's killers
including Abdul Mazed to meet his devilish
greed for achieving power
On March 26, 1980, Mazed was given a job in the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) by Ziaur Rahman's government. He retired from the army to join the BIWTC as a deputy secretary. He was eventually promoted to secretary. After that, Mazed applied for the director's (Youth Development) post at the Ministry of Youth Development, and got the job.
However, when the Awami League government started the proceedings of the killing of Bangabandhu in 1996, he went into hiding in fear of getting caught. Since then he lived in Kolkata's Park Street area for the last 23 years working as a home tutor. He also got married there for second time and gave birth to a child. However, from there, he fled to Dhaka in mid-March this year.
Abdul Mazed was hanged in Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday. Reportedly, there was no lawyer in the court for the murderer Mazed at the hearing. Mazed has four daughters and one son. His wife lives in the Dhaka Cantonment residential area.
On August 15, 1975, some derailed members of the armed forces killed Bangabandu mercilessly along with others members of his family. Because of this merciless and cruel killing the people of the entire country became bewildered. After the great leader was killed, the country became leaderless. People became mindless and could not understand as to what to do and from whom directives to seek for the country. At this juncture, Zia created obstruction of justice at every step.
A few months later of the killing of Bangabandhu, Zia by dint of hypocrisy occupied the post of the chief of army. And then he became the president of the country overthrowing traitor Mustak. Thereafter, Zia during his period of rule formulated indemnity Ordinance and halted the trial of the killers of Bangabandhu. But nature does not allow any misrule. The country saw that he had to die in the hands of the soldiers.
Then after 21 years, Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina came back to power with the mandate of the people. Awami League government repealed the Indemnity Ordinance on November 12, 1996, and October 2 of the same year. In this regard, Bangabandhu’s personal assistant Mohitul filed a case with the Dhanmondi Thana. Then it began a chapter of historic trial. Kazi Golam Rosul the then Session Judge of Dhaka on November 8, 1998 pronounced his judgment sentencing 15 accused to death.
The convicts of the lower court appealed against the death sentence to the higher court. After hearing, the 3rd bench of the High Court upheld the death sentence of 12 convicts and released the 3 convicts.
Then BNP came to power and the case hearing was postponed for 6 years. In the night of January 27, 2010, five convicts were executed. Earlier that verdict, another convicts died in a foreign country.
There goes a saying “Every sin carries its own punishment” and this has been proved through the demise of killer Abdul Majed. Rahman attempted to erase Bangabandhu out of history and this truth must not be forgotten.
Sukumar Sarkar is Executive Editor, Ajkeer Bangladesh Post
