People happy over Mazed's arrest, demand immediate execution

After captain (retd) Abdul Mazed, one of the killers of Bangabandhu, was arrested early on Tuesday, people – especially youths using social media – praised the government and demanded Mazed's immediate execution.

The people of Borhanuddin upazila in Bhola district, where Mazed was born, have also expressed satisfaction over the government's relentless effort to apprehend the killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

However, the rejoicing people could not bring out any procession to show their happiness due to restrictions on public gatherings over the coronavirus outbreak.

Shaheb Ali, an injured freedom fighter from Boromanika union in Borhanuddin upazila, told The Business Standard that it was very regrettable that Mazed moved around freely after killing Bangabandhu.

"I am very glad to hear that the self-declared killer of Bangabandhu has been arrested," he said.

Urging the government to carry out his death penalty without delay, Shaheb said, "He has no right to be alive even for a second on this earth."

Terming Mazed "a curse", Hasib Chowdhury Badhon, a student of Jagannath University, wrote in a Facebook post that residents of Borhanuddin upazila as well as the whole country will be very happy to get rid of the killer.

"We are very happy over Mazed's arrest. We cannot wait to see him executed," said Badhon, a resident of Borhanuddin.

Azizullah Arif Talukder, another resident of the upazila, said, "The government gave us good news amid the novel coronavirus crisis."

"We have been waiting for a long time to hear such news. Now we feel good," he said.

Chairman of Boro Manika union Jasim Uddin Haider said, "We are sorry because such a hypocrite was born in our union. Mazed did not just kill Bangabandhu – he killed the dream of Bangladesh."

"I cannot express myself now. I had always dreamt of celebrating the moment when Mazed would be arrested. But unfortunately now we cannot do anything to celebrate because of the novel coronavirus," he said.

"The souls of the martyrs will feel good if Mazed's death penalty is carried out soon," he added.

ANM Abu Abdullah, headmaster of Borhanuddin Girls High School, told this correspondent that people of Bhola are proud of Bir Sherstha Mostafa Kamal, who was born in the district, as he sacrificed his life for the country.

"But killer Mazed ruined our dream. We demand his immediate execution," he said.

Five more killers of Bangabandhu remain at large

After taking power in 2009, the ruling Awami League government executed five convicted killers of Bangabandhu on January 27 in 2010. They are Syed Faruk Rahman, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan.

However, six more self-confessed killers – Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, Abdul Mazed and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan – remained at large over the last four decades.

After Mazed was arrested, five more killers of Bangabandhu are left to be captured.

Although the government knows where two of these killers are, it has no confirmed information about three other killers, said Mahiul Islam, assistant inspector general of the National Central Bureau at the Police Headquarters.

Rashed Chowdhury, one of the convicted killers, is living in the USA and SHMB Noor Chowdhury is living in Canada.

The government intensified diplomatic efforts in the last few years to bring back these two killers of Bangabandhu.

Meanwhile, the three other murders of Bangabandhu - Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan have been roaming around in different countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, said sources at the police headquarters.