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Bangladesh is observing Jail Killing Day today, marking the 51st anniversary of the assassination of four prominent national leaders inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
The four leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman — played pivotal roles in the country’s Liberation War and the formation of the Mujibnagar government in 1971.
They were killed less than three months after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
Following the political changes after the August 15 assassination, the four leaders were arrested and detained in Dhaka Central Jail under the government of Khondaker Mushtaq Ahmad.
In the early hours of November 3, armed assailants entered the prison and shot the four leaders before stabbing them with bayonets.
Their killing inside a high-security prison remains one of the most tragic episodes in the country’s political history.
At the time of the Liberation War, Syed Nazrul Islam served as acting president of the Mujibnagar government, while Tajuddin Ahmad was its prime minister.
Captain M Mansur Ali served as finance minister, and AHM Quamruzzaman held the portfolio of relief and rehabilitation.
A murder case was filed on November 4, 1975. After a lengthy legal process, a trial court delivered its verdict in 2004, sentencing three accused to death and 12 others to life imprisonment.
The case subsequently went through appeals at higher courts.
Jail Killing Day is observed annually to pay tribute to the four leaders and recall their contributions to Bangladesh’s independence.