The Dhaka Central Jail authorities have taken all preparations to execute the death row war criminal, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
Deputy Inspector General (Prison) Golam Haider, Deputy Commissioner of DMP Nazmul Alam and Senior Jail Super Forman Ali entered the jail on Saturday evening. Among others, Dhaka District Deputy Commissioner Tofazzal Hossain Mia, Jail Doctor Ahsan Habib and Civil Surgeon of Dhaka Abdul Malek Mridha are now inside the jail.
A total of 12 armed guards, who are supposed to present in front of the gallow, entered the jail at 9:40pm.
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman (file photo)
Seeking anonymity, a guard of the jail told the Dhaka Tribune: "A six-member team of hangmen led by Raju is ready to execute the order."
He said Kamaruzzaman took a bath at 9pm and offered his last prayers to the almighty. "At 9:20pm, the civil surgeon completed Kamaruzzaman's health examination while the imam also performed all rituals."
The authorities have tightened the security in and around the Dhaka Central Jail on Saturday afternoon ahead of the execution of death row war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
The additional members of different law enforcing agencies, including prison guards, police, RAB, DB police were deployed around the jail alongside plain-cloth police.
The move has been taken right after Kamaruzzaman’s family entered the jail around 4:30pm, said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Baten of Lalbagh Division.
He told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have taken the move in order to ensure strict security in the jail area as well as to tackle all untoward incident.”
Kamaruzzaman trial timeline
Meanwhile, vehicular movement on the roads leading to the jail has also been sealed off since Saturday evening.
Earlier, family members met the Jamaat leader at jail soon after the jail authorities received his execution order in the afternoon.
On Friday, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the death-row war crimes convict would not get more time to take decision on whether he would seek presidential mercy.
On Thursday, the lawyers of condemned war criminal Kamaruzzaman have met the Jamaat-e-Islami leader as he wished to meet his lawyers.
On Wednesday, the jail authorities read out the death sentence before Kamaruzzaman after getting the copy of Monday’s judgement from the International Crimes Tribunal.
A death row convict is executed between 21 days and 28 days after receiving the Supreme Court order.
However, the jail code is not applicable to Kamaruzzaman as he was tried under a special law, the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters.
