Gallantry award of four fugitives striped

Bangladesh has finalised a decision to take away gallantry awards from four of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s killers, who received them for their actions during the Liberation War.

A gazette stripping the awards from fugitives Shariful Haque Dalim, Risaldar Moslemuddin, M Rashed Chowdhury and SHMB Noor Chowdhury will be released in four or five days, said Minister of Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozammel Huq.

“An ethical decision has been made,” the minister said. “Now we will issue it in a gazette.”

He did not comment further on the matter.

Once the awards are taken away, the fugitives and their families will no longer be able to make use of the benefits afforded to freedom fighters.

On Dec 15 last year, the High Court suspended the awards to the absconding killers. Then, in February, a meeting of the Jatiyo Muktijoddha Council made the decision to revoke the awards and sent it to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs for final approval.

At the same meeting, the council decided to strip the late military ruler and wartime sector commander Ziaur Rahman of the gallantry title of ‘Bir Uttam’ for ‘defying the constitution, assisting the self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu in fleeing the country and appointing them to important state positions’. But Minister Huq made no comment on whether the ministry had approved that decision.

On Aug 15, 1975, four years after Bangladesh’s independence, Bangabandhu and most of his family were killed by a group of military officials. Awami League leaders have long insisted that the assassination was part of a conspiracy involving both foreign and domestic actors.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also claims that Ziaur Rahman, who took power 10 days after Bangabandhu’s death, was ‘totally involved’ in the killing.

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, the self-proclaimed president at the time, issued an ordinance protecting Bangabandhu’s killers. Later, when Ziaur Rahman came to power, he revised the constitution to clear a path to protect the killers permanently. The killers were also appointed to several state positions.

In 1996, when the Awami League returned to power under the leadership of Hasina, it cleared the path to bringing the killers to justice. Of the twelve sentenced to death in the trial, five were executed, one died outside custody and five more remain at large.

Among the five are ‘Bir Bikrom’ SHMB Noor Chowdhury, ‘Bir Uttam’ Shariful Haque Dalim, ‘Bir Protik’ M Rashed Chowdhury and ‘Bir Protik’ Risaldar Moslemuddin.