Extradition of 5 fugitive killers of Bangabandhu uncertain
Five self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are yet to be brought back from abroad. It is certain that MB Noor Chowdhury lives in Canada, and Rashed Chowdhury lives in the United States, but the whereabouts of the other three remain unknown.
Given these circumstances, uncertainty looms large over the extradition and punishment of these five self-proclaimed killers.
Extradition of Noor Chowdhury from Canada and Rashed Chowdhury from the US is stalled due to legal complications. On the other hand, the government has no definite information about the whereabouts of the other three absconding death row convicts Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim and Risaldar Moslehuddin.
Meanwhile, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said the government would reward those who can give information on the whereabouts of the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu. He said this while speaking at a discussion at National Press Club marking 48th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Several former and current diplomats of Bangladesh told this correspondent that extradition of Noor Chowdhury has legal complications since Canada abolished the death penalty. The US attorney general office in June 2020 sought documents of Rashed Chowdhury’s political asylum case. If the case was revived, the chance of annulment of Rashed Chowdhury’s asylum case would have emerged. But that process has also stalled after the change of power in the US.
All these factors have created doubt whether the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu can be returned or not.
Diplomatic sources said recently Bangladesh on several occasions requested Canada and the US to extradite the killers of Bangabandhu. But both the countries have, however, mentioned that the matter is under the jurisdiction of the legal process.
When asked about the other three killers, a senior official of foreign affairs ministry told Prothom Alo that it was heard that Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim and Risaldar Moslehuddin stayed at different places at different times. But in the end none of the information could be confirmed.
However, a former senior official of the government who was involved in the process of bringing back the killers of Bangabandhu told this correspondent that the three fugitive murderers of Bangabandhu, Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim and Risaldar Moslehuddin, mainly stay in Pakistan. They travel to different countries from there.
On the other hand, according to the information of National Central Bureau (NCB), the Bangladesh branch of Interpol, Khandaker Abdur Rashid's possible location is Libya or Zimbabwe, Shariful Haque Dalim's location is Pakistan or Libya and Risaldar Moslehuddin's possible location is in Pakistan. Interpol in 2009 issued arrest warrants for those five fugitive killers.
Bangabandhu and his family members were brutally assassinated on 15 August in 1975 by some misguided members of the Army. Bangabandhu’s two daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana escaped the mayhem as they were staying abroad at that time. After the killing of Bangabandhu, a law was enacted to give indemnity to the murderers.
The trial of Bangabandhu killing was launched after the Awami League assumed power in 1996. On 8 November in 1998, Dhaka's then sessions judge of Kazi Golam Rasul handed down death sentence to 15 people in this case. Later the High Court upheld the death sentence of 12 accused.
On the night of 27 January, 2010, Syed Farooq Rahman, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan and Muhiuddin Ahmed were executed. Another killer Aziz Pasha died in June 2001 in Zimbabwe.
Police said to have arrested another killer Abdul Mazed from Dhaka’s Gabtoli on 6 April in 2020. Days later on 11 April night he was executed. Indian media reported at that time Mazed had long been staying in Kolkata hiding his name and identity.