Assassination of Ziaur Rahman
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Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d ...
, the 7th president of
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, was assassinated by a faction of officers of
Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and defe ...
, on 30 May 1981, in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong. Rahman went to Chittagong to arbitrate in a clash between the local leaders of his political party, the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
. On the night of 30 May, a group of officers commandeered the Chittagong Circuit House, a government residence where Rahman was staying, shooting him and several others.


Events

At 4 AM on 30 May 1981, three teams of army officers attacked the Chittagong Circuit House where Rahman was asleep. In all there were 16 army officers as soldiers refused to join. They had eleven submachine guns, three Rocket Launchers and three grenade firing rifles. All members of the attacking team were commissioned officers. Main leaders of this attacking team were Lt. Colonel Matiur Rahman, Lt. Colonel Mahbub and Major Khaled Lieutenant Colonel Fazle Hossain started the attack by launching two rockets towards the circuit house which created two large holes in the building. The officers then searched room to room for Rahman. Major Mojaffar and Captain Moslehdudin found the president first. Moslehuddin informed Rahman that they would take him to the cantonment. Shortly afterwards, however, Colonel Matiur Rahman arrived with another team and shot him from close range with a submachine gun. Among the attackers, Lt. Col. Matiur Rahman and Col. Mahbub were killed while trying to escape, Major Khaled and Major Mojaffar escaped, and Captain Moslehuddin was caught and sentenced to life in prison. However, as of 2010, he is in the United States.


Aftermath

After the assassination of Rahman on 30 May 1981,
Hussain Muhammad Ershad Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time ma ...
, the Chief of Army Staff, remained loyal to the government and ordered the army to suppress the coup attempt of Rahman's associates led by
Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Abul Manzoor Muhammed Abul Manzur (24 February 1940 – 1 June 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer who commanded the Bangladesh Forces operations in Sector 8 during the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971. He was allegedly involved in t ...
. Government ordered the rebel force to surrender and gave them a time limit. Most soldiers including officers who took part in the mission to attack in Chittagong Circuit House did surrender and so the leading officer including GOC Manjoor were trying to escape towards Chittagong Hill Tracts. On the way they were intervened by government-sent force. Colonel Matiur Rahman and Lt Colonel Mahub (chief of 21st East Bengal, nephew of Manjoor) were shot to death by Major Mannan (a Pakistan return officer, 2IC of 12 Engineer Battalion). General Manjoor was caught at Fatikchhari by both Police and Army force while Manjoor and his wife were feeding their children inside a tea garden. However, he surrendered to Police and he was taken to
Hathazari Hathazari ( bn, হাটহাজারী) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Geography Hathazari is located at . It has 52,594 households and a total area of 251.28 km2. The main river is Halda River ...
thana. General Manjoor requested a lawyer, which he was refused. He then asked to be sent to Chittagong jail, otherwise he said, the army would kill him. But when he got on the police van, an army squad arrived at the prison and after some debate a certain Nayeb Subadar caught General Manjoor's hand and forced him towards the army vehicle. He was then blinded and hands were tightened. However, what happened afterwards was never released by the Government and was classified. The government later announced that General Manjoor has been killed by unruly soldiers who were enraged after knowing that General Manjoor was the key conspirator of the assassination. Manzoor's death – at first described as having been at the hands of an "enraged mob", but later shown in an autopsy report to have been via a gunshot to the back of the head – added to the mystery. The rest of the conspirators were tried in military court, and given sentences ranging from the death penalty to imprisonment. Following Rahman's death, Vice President of Bangladesh Justice Abdus Sattar became
Acting President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...
. He was elected in a popular vote in December 1981 but was deposed on 24 March 1982 by a
bloodless coup A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritari ...
by Ershad. One of the accused of Rahman's murder case, captain (Rtd.) Giasuddin Ahmed is now an Awami League member of
Jatiya Sangshad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...
from
Gaffargaon Upazila Gafargaon ( bn, গফরগাঁও) is an upazila of Mymensingh District in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Geography Gafargaon is located at . It has 73,130 households and total area 401.16 km2. Trishal on the north, Nandail in ...
,
Mymensingh District Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is a district in Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya, a state of India and the Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur District, on the east by the districts of Ne ...
. Twelve officers, mostly veterans, were hanged for their alleged involvement in the killing of President Rahman after a hasty trial in a military court that was completed in only 18 days. The 13th officer was hanged two years later as he was being treated for bullet wounds he had received during the assassination.


Trial

18 officers were brought before a military tribunal, 13 were sentenced to death whilst 5 were given varying prison sentences. The officers were arrested between 1 and 3 June 1981 and a
court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
, chaired by Major General Abdur Rahman began at
Chittagong Central Jail Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
on 10 July 1981 and ended on 28 July 1981. Twelve officers were executed. Major General Abdur Rahman, a Pakistan returned officer, was later sent to France in 1983/84 as ambassador, dying there mysteriously; his family claimed General Rahman was killed by the government of Bangladesh.


Executed officers

# Brigadier
Mohsin Uddin Ahmed Mohsin Uddin Ahmed () was a Brigadier General of the Bangladesh Army and recipient of Bir Bikrom, the third highest gallantry award of Bangladesh, for his actions during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was the senior most official of Bangladesh ...
# Colonel
Nawajesh Uddin Nawazesh Uddin (24 July 1945 - 23 September 1981) was a Bangladeshi army officer who was executed for his alleged involvement in the assassination of Ziaur Rahman. Career In 1959, Nawazesh joined the Pakistan Army as a student apprentice and ...
# Colonel M Abdur Rashid # Lt Colonel l AYM Mahfuzur Rahman # Lt Colonel M Delwar Hossain # Lt Colonel Shah Md Fazle Hossain
(executed on 23 September 1983, hanged while physically totally unfit ) # Major AZ Giashuddin Ahmed #
Major Rawshan Yazdani Bhuiyan Major Rawshan Yazdani Bhuiyan (died 1981) was a Bangladeshi freedom fighter. He was accused by the Government of Bangladesh of taking part in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman and was hanged in 1981. Education Rawshan graduated from Fa ...
# Major Kazi Mominul Haque # Major M Mojibur Rahman # Captain Mohammad Abdus Sattar # Captain Jamil Haque # Lt Mohammad Rafiqul Hassan Khan, aged 23 when hanged (Rafiq later claimed he was on a mission under orders from his superior officer, without knowledge of the mission.) The army prosecutors, who were appointed to defend these 13 suspected officers later called the trial a 'farcical trial' as they all were denied the minimal opportunity to defend.


Sentenced to Prison

# Lt Mosleh Uddin. (life sentence, as 2010 was living in the USA) (Mosleh Uddin was the younger brother of Brigadier Mohsin Uddin Ahmed, who was sentenced to be executed. As elder brother was sentenced to die, younger brother was not given death sentence.)


Expelled officers

Following officers were removed from Army. # Brigadier Abu Said Matiul Hannan Shah # Brigadier AKM Azizul Islam # Brigadier Gias Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury (Bir Bikram) # Brigadier Abu Jafar Aminul Huque (Bir Bikram) # Colonel Md. Bajlul Goni Patwari (Bir Protik) # Lt. Colonel AS Enamul Huque # Lt. Colonel Md. Jainul Abedin # Lt. Colonel Md. Abdul Hannan (Bir Protik) # Major Manjur Ahmed (Bir Protik) # Major
Wakar Hassan Wakar Hasan, Bir Protik was a Bangladesh Army Major and a member of the Mukti Bahini in the Bangladesh Liberation War. For his courage in the war of liberation, the Government of Bangladesh gave him the title of Bir Protik. Early life, family a ...
(Bir Protik) # Major Md. Abdul Jalil # Major Rafiqul Islam # Major Md. Abdus Salam # Major AKM Rezaul Islam (Bir Protik) # Major Md. Asaduzzaman # Captain Jahirul Huque Khan (Bir Protik) # Captain Majharul Huque # Captain ASM Abdul Hai # Captain Ilyas (was in Rajshahi jail with Brig. Mohsin) # Lt. Abul Hashem


See also

*
1982 Bangladesh coup d'état __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab ...
* Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman * Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood * Deyal


References


External links

*Mascarenhas, Anthony. ''Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood''. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1986. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Ziaur Military history of Bangladesh Assassinations in Bangladesh 1981 murders in Bangladesh Military coups in Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman May 1981 events in Asia 1980s coups d'état and coup attempts Crime in Chittagong 1981 in Bangladesh