Probe commission to unearth masterminds of Bangabandhu killing: Arefin Siddique

Former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique has expressed his optimism on probing backstage masterminds behind the grotesque massacre of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family.  

“An objective and thorough investigation into the heinous act should be brought into light for future generations to know the killers and the conspirators behind,” he told Business Insider Bangladesh, in an interview on Sunday.

Prof Arefin Siddique strongly believes that massacring of Bangabandhu and his family members, the jail killing in 1975 and the grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina in 2004 were all orchestrated by the same group of people, following a lineage.

He said even during 1971, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad was allegedly in contact with the Pakistani Government and wanted to form a confederation of two states, East Pakistan and West Pakistan.

When the matter was unravelled, the then Prime Minister of the Mujibnagar Government, Tajuddin Ahmad sent Abdus Samad Azad to the 26th session of the UN General assembly to represent the Mujibnagar Government and dropped Mostaq from the delegation which he was supposed to lead.

Dr Arefin Siddique believes that conspiracies against Bangabandhu and Bangladesh started even prior to the independence and later it was ramified and consequently led to the 15th August killing in 1975.

After the nerve-chilling massacre, Shariful Haque Dalim (an army major at that time) took control of Bangladesh Betar and declared the murder of Bangabandhu. The conspirators then changed the name of Bangladesh Betar to Radio Bangladesh, making a resemblance to Radio Pakistan.

Dr. Arefin Siddique believes that the supporters of Pakistan were behind the heinous acts of conspiracy against Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The infamous Indemnity Ordinance 1975 gave absolute immunity to the people who were involved with the preparation and execution of Bangabandhu slaying. Later, Major General Ziaur Rahman and Lt General Hussain Muhammad Ershad amended the act to legalise their military coups, martial law decrees, orders, and other political decisions during their regimes.

When asked about the infamous act, Dr. Arefin Siddique said, “The ‘Indemnity Act’ was the darkest law in the history of Bangladesh and it was all planned by the supporters of Pakistan who wanted Bangladesh to fail terribly.”

After US President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, a commission namely Warren Commission was formed to investigate into the killing. Similarly, after the slaying of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, the Justice Thakkar Commission was formed.

Dr. Arefin Siddique said a commission should have been formed earlier. However, he is hopeful that such a commission which is about to be formed at the end of the year (according to the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Anisul Huq), will demystify how such a conspiracy was brewed and who were the masterminds.

He further added that the 15th August killing was orchestrated not only to kill Bangabandhu and his family members but also to kill Bangladesh and the spirit of liberation war to turn this country into Pakistan again.