Killers to be brought to book: MKA

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on Saturday said those who were directly or indirectly involved in the killing of four national leaders and those who obstructed the trial process in this regard would be brought to justice.
"Obstructing the trial process is a punishable offence and those who’re involved in obstructing the trial process of the jail killing case will be brought to justice,” the home minister said.
He made the remark while talking to reporters after offering special prayers at the cell of Dhaka Central Jail where the country’s four national leaders were killed on this day in 1975.
Earlier, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Telecommunication Minister Shahara Khatun, Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, State Minister for Home Advocate Shamsul Haque Tuku, Sayed Shafayet Islam, son of national leader Syed Nazrul Islam, and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique placed wreaths at the portraits of the four national leaders at the cell.
“The nation will get rid of the stigma through ensuring punishment to the killers of the four national leaders,” the home minister told the journalists.
“We’ll get united to resist the killers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Matia Chowdhury said, “Those who showed their negligence in performing their duties in the four national leaders killing case and destroyed the evidence will be punished.”
Brig Gen (retd) Syed Safayet Hossain, son of national leader Syed Nazrul Islam, said he hoped that the Appellate Division will uphold the High Court verdict.
The government on Thursday submitted a concise statement to the Supreme Court for the hearing of appeal against the verdict of the High Court division in the jail killing case, acquitting some key accused.
On November 3 in 1975, the four national leaders and heroes of the country’s Liberation War -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Capt Mansoor Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman -- were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
On Oct 20 in 2004, the Metropolitan Sessions Court Judge Matiur Rahman awarded death sentence to three former army personnel -- Risaldar Moslem Uddin, Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Abul Hashem Mridha -- and life imprisonment to 12 others in the jail killing case.
The HC in 2008 upheld the death penalty of Risaldar Moslem Uddin, but acquitted Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Abul Hashem Mridha. It also acquitted four others who were awarded life imprisonment.
Earlier, the ministers, including the home minister, placed wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.