Gallantry title of four killers of Bangabandhu to be revoked: Minister
A decision has been taken to revoke the gallantry title of four fugitive self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque.
The four are -- Shariful Huq Dalim (awarded Bir Uttom), Noor Chowdhury (awarded Bir Bikrom), Rashed Chowdhury (awarded Bir Protik) and Muslehuddin Khan (awarded Bir Protik). They have also been sentenced to death.
Mozammel Haque on Wednesday told newspersons that the decision has been taken in principle. The gazette will be published later, he added.
The liberation war affairs ministry took the decision as it drew flak for publishing a gazette on the list of Freedom Fighters that contained the names of the four. Earlier, on 15 December last year, the High Court suspended the freedom fighter gallantry awards of four fugitive killers.
The ministry thought inclusion of the names of the four killers in the list of Freedom Fighters with gallantry title is shameful for the nation.
On 19 November 2009, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of 12 convicted former army officials for the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family members.
Five killers of Bangabandhu -- Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed -- were hanged in January 2010.
Another fugitive convict, dismissed captain Abdul Majed, was hanged in April, 2019.
Another killer Aziz Pasha met natural death in Zimbabwe in 2001.
The fugitive killers are former Lt. Col. Khandaker Abdur Rashid, SHBM Noor Chowdhury, Shariful Haque Dalim, Rashed Chowdhury, and Risaldar Muslehuddin.