The Assassin Next Door (The Fifth Estate)

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"The Assassin Next Door"
The Fifth Estate episode
The Assassin Next Door poster.jpeg
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Episode no.Season 49
Episode 4
Written by Mark Kelley
Presented by Mark Kelley
Produced byAllya Davidson
Editing byRyan Ferguson
Original air dateNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Running time42 minutes

"The Assassin Next Door" is the fourth episode of 49th season of Canadian documentary series The Fifth Estate . The documentary was published by the Canada-state affiliated media CBC News. The investigative documentary episode is about on Noor Chowdhury, the assassin of the first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and it focuses on questions that raises about Canada's silence in the case of Noor Chowdhury's staying in Canada.

Contents

Background

The first president of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members were assassinated on 15 August 1975 in his residence of Dhanmondi 32 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel as part of a coup d'état. [1] Minister of Commerce Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad immediately took control of the government and proclaimed himself president. The assassination marked the first direct military intervention in Bangladesh's civilian administration-centric politics. [2] The trial of the assassins was ended on 8 November 1998 ordering the death sentence to fifteen out of the twenty accused of conspiring in the assassination. Many of them were executed [3] [4] and many of them were died of natural causes. [5] [6] Some person are absconding. Noor Chowdhury is one of them who is currently living in Canada. [7]

Description

The documentary reveals how one of the assassins Noor Chowdhury had fled to Canada now residing in a condo in Etobicoke west of Toronto. It explored the circumstances of the Noor Chowdhury case and included interviews with numerous prominent figures including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada Khalilur Rahman, and other individuals involved in the case. According to the documentary, Chowdhury is currently the most wanted criminal in Bangladesh. He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for assassinating the country's then president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in 1975, and helping to plan the massacre of 21 members of the president's family and household, including his 10-year-old son. [8] He was filmed tending to plants on his balcony but fled when confronted by the journalist outside his residence. The Government of Canada including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refused to comment on the documentary about the case. Despite a deportation order issued by IRCC in 2006, Canada has been publicly silent on its reasons for allowing him to stay, driving a wedge between the two long-friendly countries. [8] The documentary also shows the friendship between Bangladesh & Canada in the time when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Pierre Trudeau were in power. [8]

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> Founding father of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, popularly known by the honorific prefix Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist and diarist. As a politician, Mujib had held continuous positions either as Bangladesh's president or as its prime minister from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. Mujib successfully led the Bangladeshi independence movement and restored the Bengali sovereignty after over two centuries following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, for which he is honoured as the 'Father of the Nation' in Bangladesh. In 2011, the fifteenth constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution. His Bengali nationalist ideology, socio-political theories, and political doctrines are sometimes called Mujibism.

Syed Nazrul Islam was a Bangladeshi politician and a senior leader of the Awami League. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he was declared as the Vice President of Bangladesh by the Provisional Government. He served as the Acting President in the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the fourth president of Bangladesh from 15 August to 6 November 1975, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was involved in the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975. He took on the role of president immediately after the assassination, praised the assassins as "sons of the sun" and put cabinet ministers loyal to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in jail.

Syed Faruque Rahman was a coup member involved in toppling the Sheikh Mujib regime in Bangladesh. He was convicted and hanged on 28 January 2010 along with co-conspirators Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Mohammad Bazlul Huda in Dhaka Central Jail, Old Dhaka, for the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and first president of Bangladesh. Syed Faruque Rahman and his close ally Khondaker Abdur Rashid were the chief organisers of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975. He was 2IC of the 1st Bengal Lancers Regiment of the Bangladesh Army who led a group of junior army officers in order to overthrew the regime of Sheikh Mujib and install Khondaker Mushtaque Ahmed as president of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> 1975 murder in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were assassinated during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Dhanmondi 32 residence as part of a coup d'état. Minister of Commerce, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, immediately took control of the government and proclaimed himself president. The assassination marked the first direct military intervention in Bangladesh's civilian administration-centric politics. 15 August is National Mourning Day, an official national holiday in Bangladesh.

Jail Killing Day is observed by the Awami League (AL) of Bangladesh and many other political organisations on 3 November every year. It commemorates the killing of four Awami League and national leaders: former vice-president Syed Nazrul Islam, former prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed and Captain (Rtd.) Mansur Ali, and former home minister A H M Quamruzzaman on this date in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Jamal</span> Bangladeshi army officer (1954–1975)

Sheikh Jamal was the second son of Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib</span> First Lady of Bangladesh and the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Begum Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, commonly known as Begum Mujib; and also known by her nickname Renu, was the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and the first President of Bangladesh. She is the mother of Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Fazilatunnesa was assassinated with her husband, brother-in-law, 3 sons and 2 daughters-in-law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Rehana</span> Bangladeshi politician

Sheikh Rehana Siddiq is a Bangladesh Awami League politician. She is the younger sister of the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the daughter of the first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She is also the mother of Tulip Siddiq, a British Labour Party politician and elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tungipara Sheikh family</span> Bangladeshi family

The Sheikh family of Tungipara is one of the two most prominent Bangladeshi political families, other being the Zia family. The family primarily consists of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana and their relatives. Their political involvement has traditionally revolved around the Bangladesh Awami League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Russel</span> Youngest child of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1964–1975)

Sheikh Russel was the youngest child of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first President of Bangladesh. Russel and most of his direct family were killed in their home during the 1975 military coup.

Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan was a Bangladeshi army officer who was convicted for the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and then President of Bangladesh. On 28 January 2010, Rahman was hanged along with Syed Faruque Rahman, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Mohammad Bazlul Huda in Old Dhaka Central Jail.

S.H.M.B Noor Chowdhury is a Bangladesh army officer who was convicted for the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, president of Bangladesh, and for involvement in the murder of four national leaders in the Jail Killing. As of 2017, he was a fugitive, residing in Canada. The Canadian government has refused to extradite him, because he faces the death penalty in Bangladesh.

Mohammad Bazlul Huda was a Bangladeshi Army officer who was convicted of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, president of Bangladesh. On 28 January 2010, Bazlul was hanged along with Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, and A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed in Old Dhaka Central Jail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangabandhu Memorial Museum</span> Museum in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, also known as Bangabandhu Bhaban or Dhanmondi 32, located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh, was the personal residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was also called Bangabandhu, the founder and president of Bangladesh. Mujib was assassinated with most members of his family in this residence. In 2009, RAJUK declared the museum a national heritage site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état</span> First military coup in Bangladesh

The 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état was a military coup launched by mid ranking army officers in Bangladesh on 15 August 1975. The officers were part of a conspiracy to assassinate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, who led the independence struggle during the Bangladesh Liberation War and later served as the first and fourth president and later in between his two presidential terms served as the second prime minister of Bangladesh from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were killed during the coup, with the exception of his two daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

Mohiuddin Ahmed was a Bangladesh Army officer who was convicted of the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On 28 January 2010, Ahmed was hanged along with Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Syed Farooq Rahman, and Mohammad Bazlul Huda at Old Dhaka Central Jail.

Abdul Majed was a Bangladeshi military officer who was convicted for his role in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mausoleum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> Resting place of the first president of Bangladesh

The Mausoleum of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the mausoleum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and the first president of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It is located in Tungipara of Gopalganj district, the birthplace of Mujib, and was designed by architects Ehsan Khan, Ishtiaque Jahir and Iqbal Habib.

References

  1. বাশার, রিয়াজুল; আতিক, ফয়সল (14 August 2017). ১৫ অগাস্ট: কী ছিল সেদিনের পত্রিকায়. bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. কল্লোল, কাদির (15 August 2015). প্রথম অভ্যুত্থান যেভাবে পাল্টে দেয় বাংলাদেশের গতিপথ. বিবিসি বাংলা (in Bengali). Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  3. Ahmed, Anis (27 January 2010). "Bangladesh Hangs Killers of Independence Leader Mujib". Reuters.
  4. "Bangladesh executes killer of founding president". BBC News. 12 April 2020.
  5. "Mujib murder case appeals verdict today". New Age. Dhaka. Archived from the original on 2 August 2010.
  6. 6 killers still out of reach Archived 21 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Charlie Gillis (15 February 2011). "The assassin among us – Nur Chowdhury faces execution for killing Bangladesh's president. That's why he's safe in Canada". Maclean's .
  8. 1 2 3 "The assassin next door". CBC News. 21 November 2023.