Former Chief of Army Staff K M Shafiullah, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Ziaur Rahman, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Khaled Mosharraf, Brigade Commander of 46 Infantry Brigade Shafayet Jamil, Military Operations Director Nuruddin, Military Intelligence Director Lt Col Salauddin, DGFI’s Abdur Rauf and other responsible senior army officials didn’t take any actions against the killers of the president of the country and his family members despite repeated meetings for breaching army rules and participating in the mutiny. Their faces had changed hearing the news of bloodshed on the morning of August 15. Nobody took a stance against the killers. All including Deputy Chief of Army Staff Ziaur Rahman were busy covering up the incident. On August 19 at army headquarters, Shafayet Jamil raised questions about the role of Ziaur Rahman. Failed Chief of Army Staff Shafiullah told him “You understand the matter after long days.”  

So-called ‘Martial Law’ was promulgated on August 20, 1975. Earlier, there was no military rule in the country.  

There is no need to become a military expert. Common people understand that seniors backed Farooque-Rashid on August 15. They didn’t dare to kill the president sans seniors’s consent. Killers repeatedly said they wanted to detain Bangabandhu and bring him to the cantonment. Later, they will punish Bangabandhu at Suhrawardy Udyan in public. The first team of killers had stopped themselves as Bangabandhu rebuffed them while they entered Dhanmondi-32. The second team fired at Bangabandhu. Everything had happened in cold-blood planning. The first team wanted to take Bangabandhu to the cantonment. Who had given courage to them to say such words to Bangabandhu? Who had given the courage? Many questions arise after long days. The people of the country were the main strength of Bangabandhu. Were they (killers) able to take Bangabandhu to the people? A child even understands it is not possible. Nobody was so powerful to hit Bangabandhu by keeping him alive. Bangabandhu’s courage, strength, personality and people involvement was rare in the world. Only Farooque, Rashid and their godfathers knew the main plan of the killers. The first group of killers was told to detain Bangabandhu and the second group was instructed to finish everything. The first group entered the house of Bangabandhu led by Major Mohiuddin Ahmed to observe the situation. Later Bazlul Huda and Nur Chowdhury entered. Finally, Risaldar Moslem Uddin Khan came to Dhanmondi-32 after killing Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni. Huda, Nur, and Moslem Uddin entered the house of Bangabandhu as brutal killers along with a warrant of murder and arms.

Killers knew they would be saved. Anwar Ul Alam Shaheed and Sarwar Mollah wrote Khaled Mosharraf had directed them to keep calm about the 46 Infantry Brigade in the morning. Shafayet Jamil was with him. Later Khaled Mosharraf instructed them to show allegiance by going to the radio station.  General Khalilur Rahman had stopped the arms of Rakhi Bahini at the Pilkhana BDR Headquarters. In the evening, Ziaur Rahman expressed his dissatisfaction with seeing Tofail Ahmed at Bangabhaban.  He also had given threats to them. Ziaur Rahman directed them to hand over Tofail Ahmed to SP Abdus Salam of the Special Branch.

Colonel Hamid saw Ziaur Rahman was talking with Shariful Huq Dalim closely. Hamid wrote details in his book. Lieutenant Colonel Hamid wrote ‘Somehow 46 Infantry Brigade was managed.’ Several army officers echoed him. They wrote killers won’t dare to make such big killings in Dhaka city without assurance of the big fish. Killers moved through the 46 Brigade with arms. Nobody obstructed them. On August 15, Rashid told the 46 Brigade that they had killed Sheikh Mujib, why Shafayet Jamil didn’t detain him as per the Army Act. Why Khaled Mosharraf didn’t bring the killers to book for their chaos as CGS?  Why Nuruddin was silent? Many questions are in the mind of the nation for long. But there is no answer. The coup of November 3 happened with the 46 Brigade. There were 4,000 soldiers under Shafayet Jamil. Why he didn’t prevent the killers on August 15 night? Was November 3 the uprising in protest of the Bangabandhu killing? According to many military experts, the exaggeration of notorious majors and captains of August 15 was not tolerated by others. For this reason, another team of majors and captains played a crucial role in the November 3 operation. Every mutiny needs a senior. That’s why they chose Khaled Mosharraf as the chief of army staff.  They removed Ziaur Rahman. Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed was in the position of president as they had no plan for state power. On November 6, when they brought Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem to Bangabhaban, Colonel Taher made the situation critical. Taher supported Ziaur Rahman.      

Major Hafiz has recently given an interview on television. Hafiz said he was a brigade major of 46 Brigade. Major Rashid was in the Bengal 2 of the 46 Brigade. On August 15, Major Rashid told Hafiz that they had murdered the president. He immediately informed the matter Shafayet Jamil. Both of them decided to go to the army chief. In the meantime, they met Deputy Chief of Army Staff Ziaur Rahman. Ziaur was shaving at that time at dawn. He (Ziaur) told them the president is no more. So what? The Vice president is here. Everything is allowed in the Constitution. Major Hafiz also said Khaled Mosharraf had given him the security charge of Bangabhaban on the same day.  He went Dhanmondi-32 on his way to Bangabhaban.  The body of Bangabandhu was at the stairs.  Huda brought Hafiz to the first floor. He watched a ghastly scenario in Dhanmondi.   

According to the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the planning of the assassination of Bangabandhu was started in 1974. As part of the planning, Colonel Ziauddin wrote a big article on Enayetullah Khan’s Holiday urging to oust the government. This article had been circulated at all cantonments in the country as a leaflet. As per the army act, before dismissal, K M Shafiullah brought Colonel Ziauddin to Bangabandhu.  He (Bangabandhu) said the country has just started its journey.

“You all carry the country forward. Why are you trying to create noise in the Army? What’s the problem?” Bangabandhu told Ziauddin to say sorry by withdrawing his writing. Arrogant Ziauddin refused Bangabandhu’s call. He, later, joined with Siraj Sikder and joined in armed fighting to oust the government.   

Colonel Taher was operating anti-government activities in the cantonment. He was the army unit head of Jasad-created 'Gana Bahini'. The trend of creating anarchy in the army by creating a political group was unprecedented. The government had rehabilitated Taher at the Water Development Board after his dismissal from the army. He was engaged there to oust Bangabandhu and his government. 

Senior army officials were busy making the situation normal on the morning of August 15 although they were darkness about the assassination. While giving testimony before the court in the Bangabandhu killing case, K M Shafiullah said, “When I talked to Bangabandhu, he told me ‘Shafiullah your force has attacked my house. They may have killed Kamal. You send the force immediately.’ In response, I said, I am doing something. Can you get out of the house?

I called Zia and Khaled Mosharraf and told them to come to my house in a hurry. They reached my house within 15-20 minutes. Zia was uniformed and shaved. Khaled Mosharraf came wearing a night dress by his car.”  Before death, Bangabandhu saw that his-created army came to kill him. Nobody came to save him.

DGFI chief Brigadier Abdur Rauf was informed of the incident at night. His source informed him that tanks were getting out from the cantonment desperately around 3:00 am. Their movement is suspicious. They might kill the president. Although the DGFI boss was informed at midnight, he didn’t take any action to save the head of the state. He never talked about his role on that night from 3:00 am to 6:00 am on August 15. Colonel Jamil was appointed as DGFI chief transferring Rauf. But Jamil, the chief security officer of Bangabandhu, didn’t get the time to join at his new workplace. Rauf didn’t take the transfer of Jamil positively to DGFI. Lieutenant Colonel Hamid wrote, on August 15, Rauf went to the house of the army chief at dawn wearing a lungi. The directionless army chief was busy with Ziaur Rahman and Khaled Mosharraf to do something. The Army chief told them to do something immediately. But neither of them did anything telling everything was over. In his writings and interviews, General Shafiullah repeatedly said he didn’t get help from the top army officials alongside his failure. There is no one example to cooperate with Shafiullah to save Bangabandhu.        

Lt Col. Salahuddin of military intelligence went to the house of the army chief at 4:30 am. Being informed, the army chief called Bangabandhu. At the same time, Bangabandhu was also trying to reach him. Later, Bangabandhu managed to reach him.  Shafiullah talked with the Father of the Nation. Nuruddin was the Director of Military Operations. What did he do? What was his duty? The army chief talked to him also.  There was no result of separate meetings among Shafiullah, Ziaur Rahman, Khaled Mosharraf and others at army headquarters. Nuruddin was beside Ziaur Rahman on November 7 officer killing day. Awami League government made Nuruddin minister in 1996. Why the party did it we never know. Hussain Muhammad Ershad told me that Nuruddin betrayed him. He (Nuruddin) has no gratitude.  

Lieutenant Colonel Hamid wrote the mysterious role of Ziaur Rahman, Khaled Mosharraf, and Shafayet Jamil misled the army chief. They called two deputy directors of Rakkhi Bahini at 46 Brigade and directed them to keep calm. Anwar Ul Alam Shaheed and Sarwar Mollah were also called by Khaled Mosharraf. 46 Brigade Commander Shafayet Jamil was there. Hamid wrote while he entered the brigade, he saw all army personnel of Shafayet Jamil’s brigade were in a joyous mood. Sarwar Mollah said they saw Khaled Mosharraf sitting in the chair of Brigade Commander. Shafayet Jamil was beside him. Other officers were standing. Anwar Ul Alam Shaheed and Sarwar Mollah were given chairs. They thought these two senior officers would give guidelines to fight. Surprisingly, they received a reverse order. They were told not to engage in any kind of chaos. Keep the Rakkhi Bahini in calm. Khaled Mosharraf instructed them over the phone to show loyalty by going to the radio station. Tofail Ahmed was at the Rakkhi Bahini office at that time.  Lieutenant Colonel Hamid wrote that Shafayet Jamil expressed ecstasy to him.  Khaled Mosharraf was busy to brief Rakkhi Bahini. When he came out from Khaled Mosharraf’s room, he saw killer Farooq with a smiling face. Officials of the 46 Brigade were congratulating Farooq. Shafayet Jamil, however, disagreed with Hamid and wrote defending his side. 

Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed entered Bangabhaban from the radio station with a tank procession. The killer government was scheduled to take oath after the Jumma prayer. Later, they went to Bangabhaban before Jumma. They opened a central emergency cell fearing an Indian attack at Bangabhaban. Why these dramas? There was no scope of enjoyment at the cantonment on August 15 without the support of senior officers. According to Lieutenant Colonel Hamid, on August 19, Shafiullah called brigade commanders at 8:00 am. Farooque and Rashid joined the meeting without holding any posts. Shafayet Jamil, in the meantime, understood that he had not benefitted from the mutiny. He talked separately with the army chief before starting the meeting. Staff officer Hafiz Ullah was with him. Shafayet told the army chief that Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind of this chaos. Shafiullah replied saying “You are too late to understand this matter. But now all is finished.” In the meeting, demand was raised to bring back misguided army officers to the cantonment fearing an Indian attack. Shafayet Jamil addressed the meeting for the first time. He said, “If they don’t return, I will take tough action.”  He also demanded a court martial.       

Shafayet Jamil and Khaled Mosharraf were loyal army officials of Bangabandhu. Ziaur Rahman was in favour of killers. The question is why Shafayet Jamil and Khaled Mosharraf didn’t take action against the killers after getting a request from the army chief.  If they go for action, the history of August 15 might be different. If they had arranged a court-martial, we would not waited so long for justice for the Bangabandhu killing. The nation wouldn’t allow Khandaker Moshtaque’s rule. The decision of history is taken in the prime time. Shafayet Jamil and Khaled Mosharraf made a mistake here. According to Professor Abu Sayeed, Shafayet Jamil and Khaled Mosharraf didn’t coup on November 3 to take revenge for the Bangabandhu killing. They did it to fix the chain of command of the army. All killers left the country during the regime of Khaleda Zia. Why were they allowed to leave the country? Many questions, no answer.

Writer: Editor, Bangladesh Pratidin

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on September 3, 2023, and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.