Masterminds of Aug 15, Nov 3 killings to be unmasked one day: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday hoped that someone in the future will surely find out the real conspirators behind the killings of August 15 and November 3 in 1975.

"We may not be able to try these conspirators... we'll try to do that... history cannot be erased... in the future someone will surely catch these conspirators (of the killings of August 15 and November 3) that [day] will come…this must be done," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing a discussion organised by Awami League at the city's Krishibid Institution marking the Jail Killing Day.

On this day in 1975, the killers of Bangabandhu stormed into the Dhaka Central Jail in the early hours and assassinated the four national leaders -- Tajuddin Ahmed, Syed Nazrul Islam, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman -- who led the Liberation War in the absence of Bangabandhu in 1971 and snatched the victory for the nation.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, presided over the discussion.

She said the ongoing drive against terrorism, militants, drugs and corruption will continue. "Unjust and injustice will be eliminated from Bangladesh…the people of the country will have an improved socioeconomic status, and they'll lead a beautiful life."

The Prime Minister said the sacrifice of millions of freedom fighters and martyrs cannot go in vein. "It didn't go in vein, no one will be able to make it futile in the coming future either," she said.

She said razakars, killers, al-badrs, al-shams, killers of 1975 and their companions and patrons will not get the chance to make Bangladesh their den again.

"For this, the people of Bangladesh have to think like that way…no reign of terror can be established in this country again. The pace of development and democracy must continue…we must build the Golden Bangladesh," the Prime Minister said.

After the killing of August 15, Hasina mentioned, it was said that the move was to annihilate one family. "But after the November 3 killings it got clear that the killings were political, and the anti-liberation forces did that to take revenge as Bangladesh achieved independence."

Paying her tributes to the four national leaders, the Prime Minister said such barbaric killing of leaders inside the central jail is rare in world history.

She said Bangabandhu prepared the nation for the War of Liberation, paving the path for independence and the four national leaders took that path to liberate the country.

"The jail killing was revenge by the anti-liberation forces on the national leaders for their uncompromising leadership in the War of Liberation," she said.

Hasina blasted Ziaur Rahman and his wife Khaleda Zia for patronising the killers of Bangabandhu and four national leaders, freeing the Pakistani collaborators from jail and giving them positions in the government in different times since 1975.

"Bangladesh has passed a long way of bloodshed. The architect of the independence was killed along with the key persons of the War of Liberation. The gruesome murders were followed by indiscriminate killing of many armed forces officers, Awami League leaders and workers and common people," she said.

Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Mohammad Nasim, who is also son of slain leader Captain Mansur Ali, Abdul Matin Khasru, Sahara Khatun, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, Anwar Hossain, AKM Rahmatullah, Sadeq Khan and Shahe Alam Murad and writer and journalist Anisul Huq also spoke at the event.