‘Commission to identify people behind Bangabandhu murder’

Law Minister Anisul Huq today said the government is planning to form a commission to identify the people who were behind the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on August 15, 1975.

“Of course, today we are planning to form the commission so that we can keep the names of the persons, who were truly behind the killing, in the history,” he said.

The law minister was speaking as chief guest at a discussion meeting organised by the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry at the inspector general of registration office premises in Dhaka on the occasion of 42nd death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.    

It was found in an investigation that “Ziaur Rahman was involved in the conspiracy of killing Bangabandhu”, but he could not be implicated as he died 15 years before the probe was conducted, he said.

“I want to question that many governments had assumed the state powers after 1975, but why they had not repealed the indemnity ordinance and why they had not held the trial of the killing. If they had conducted the trial the question would not raise that the people who were behind the killing were not tried,” he said.

Anisul Huq said, “I believe it’s not right that only the killers of Bangabandhu had been involved in the conspiracy of the killing. Is has to be remembered that no first information report [case] was filed in connection with the incident of the killing of great man like Bangabandhu in 21 years after the incident. No Bangalee had said that an FIR has to be lodged.”

“It’s true that no step was taken for holding trial of Bangabnadhu killing in 21 years. On the other hand, indemnity ordinance was promulgated so that the trial is not held,” the law minister said.

He said the investigators had investigated the Bangabandhu murder case on the reality of 21 years after the incident of the killing, as the case was filed 21 years into the incident.

“If the case was filed 21 years back, those who were planner and behind the killing could have been implicated,” the law minister said.

Anisul Huq, who was the chief state counsel of Bangabandhu killing case, said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not killed in Lahore [of Pakistan].

“Bangabandhu was killed in Dhaka, because, I am telling you, that there are Mirzafar [betrayers] inside us,” he added.

Law and justice division secretary of the law ministry ASSM Zahirul Haque and its legislative and parliamentary affairs secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque and IGR Khan Mohammad Abdul Mannan, among others, spoke to the occasion.