Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday said that efforts are being made to bring back absconding convicted killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders.
He said that the trial of the murder of four national leaders took place during the tenure of the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“When we will be able to repatriate them, they will be punished according to the law. The government is very serious about this, said the minister.
Asaduzzaman Khan made the remarks while talking to reporters after paying tributes to four national leaders at Old Centrail Jail in the capital's Chawkbazar marking the Jail Killing Day.
He said: "The nation has seen the brutal murder of four national leaders. A prison is a safe place, where security is provided by the state. Murder took plac there!.......We demanded justice. After a long time the prime minister came to power, we saw the trial of this murder. Not only these killings, but the assasinations of August 15 was even more brutal.”
He said: “We have seen many political assasinations in the world, but we have not seen the scene of killing an entire family. People who could have taken responsibility in Bangabandhu's absence, were also killed.”
Being asked as there is no progress in bringing back killers, the home minister said: “They have spoken to us according to the laws of the countries where the absconding killers have fled in the case of these murders. But we do not have an agreement on the exchange of criminals with these countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on these.”
He said: "The talks are always going on with the countries where the murderers have fled. Hopefully we will succeed in bringing them back through diplomatic efforts.”
In response to a query about the formation of a commission to find out the identity of the main plotter behind this murder, the Home Minister said: “A murder took place through a big action. There was a specific purpose behind it and obviously the main plotter also. The government has taken the matter into consideration. You will see action in this regard very soon.”
The Jail Killing Day is observed on November 3 as it is the second disgraceful incident in the country after the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15 in 1975.
On November 3 in 1975, four national leaders and heroes of the country's Liberation War -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman-- were assassinated inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
The four leaders played a key role in forming the Mujibnagar government in exile, that led the Liberation War in 1971, with Syed Nazrul Islam as the acting president, Tajuddin Ahmad as the prime minister, Mansur Ali as the finance minister and AHM Qamruzzaman as the home, relief and rehabilitation minister.