Matiur Rahman | |
---|---|
Died | 1 June 1981 |
Allegiance | Pakistan (Before 1971) Bangladesh |
Service/ | Pakistan Army Bangladesh Army |
Years of service | 1967-1981 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Unit | East Bengal Regiment |
Commands held |
|
Known for | Assassination of Ziaur Rahman |
Battles/wars | Bangladesh Liberation War |
Awards | Bir Bikrom |
Spouse(s) | Farhana Sultana |
Children | 1 (Daughter) |
Matiur Rahman, also known as Motiur Rahman, [1] (died 1 June 1981) was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Bangladesh Army who was involved in the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981. [2] He is believed to be the one to have shot and killed President Ziaur Rahman. [3] Matiur was subsequently killed in a shootout with troops loyal to the government on 1 June 1981. [4]
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Matiur was a sub-sector commander in sector 6. [5]
In Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood , Anthony Mascarenhas wrote that Matiur "hated Zia and the army brass in Dhaka, holding them responsible for the political and economic rot that was devastating the country". [6] In September 1979, Matiur visited Lt. Colonel Mohammad Delwar Hossain, and complained about the 'wrongdoings of the government and the BNP - high prices, social injustices and corruption'. [6]
On 25 May 1981, Matiur was visiting Dhaka, where he met his friend Lt. Colonel Mahfuzur. At the time, Mahfuzur was the Personal Staff Officer (secretary) of Zia. Mahfuzur informed Matiur about Zia's plans to transfer Major General Abul Manzoor from Chittagong to Dhaka, a decision which would also affect Matiur, who was angered by this news. According to evidence presented at the trial, Matiur and Mahfuzur discussed plans to assassinate Zia. [7] Mascarenhas claimed that "when Mafuzur also informed Moti (Matiur) that Zia had decided to visit Chittagong on the 29th, the idea for another assassination was born". [7]
At 11:30pm on 29 May 1981, Matiur organised a meeting with several army officers, where he brought out a Quran and said [8]
"This is the Holy Quran. Whatever we are doing, we are doing in the interest of our country, our people and for justice. Those of you who are with us will touch the Holy Quran and promise to do what is necessary. Those of you who are not with us may leave the room. But my only request to them is not to tell about this thing to the others".
At 2:30am on 30 May 1981, the conspirators organised themselves into three groups. The first two groups would attack the Circuit House, where Zia was staying and the third group would shoot anyone who tried to escape. Before the attack on the Circuit House, Matiur declared "We are going to get the president today". [9] The teams were composed of army officers as enlisted personnel refused to participate. [10]
Matiur was part of the two strike-teams which entered the Circuit House to kill the president. During the attack, several of Ziaur Rahman's guards were killed and two members of the strike-team were accidentally shot and injured by their own men. [11] When Zia came out of Room 4, Major Muzaffar and Lieutenant Mosleuddin were closest to him. Lieutenant Mosleuddin told Zia, "Don't worry. Nothing to be afraid of sir". [12]
Matiur, allegedly drunk at the time, used his submachine gun to kill Zia. [1] After Zia fell down, Matiur continued shooting at Zia's head and torso, disfiguring him. One of his eyes reportedly fell out of its socket. [12] The attack on the Circuit House lasted less than 20 minutes. After killing Zia, the conspirators returned to Chittagong Cantonment.
On 1 June 1981, the army officers involved in Zia's assassination went on the run in a convoy of vehicles. Matiur and Lt. Colonel Mehboob were in the lead vehicle, which got split from the rest of the convoy. Matiur came across a column of soldiers who were loyal to the government. When these soldiers tried to arrest Matiur, he opened fire, killing a Subedar. Matiur and Mehboob were killed during the shootout. [13] The Dhaka Tribune described the shootout as "mysterious". [14] Q. M. Jalal Khan wrote in his book, President Ziaur Rahman: Legendary Leader of Bangladesh, that the officers were executed on the orders of Army Chief General Hussain Muhammad Ershad. [15]
Ziaur Rahman was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 until his assassination. He was the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and served as its chairman until his assassination. He previously served as the second chief of army staff from 1975 to 1978 with a minor break.
Abu Taher was a Bengali military serviceman, who served in the Pakistan Army, and later in BDF. He crossed into India around early August and reported to the Indian authorities. After a week screening at Dehradun, India, Taher reported to Kolkata, Bangladesh Provincial government at 8 Theatre Rd. He was ordered to report to Sector 11 of Mukti Bahini under command of Major Ziaur Rahman, he became the sector commander after him. He served in BDF from end of August to 2 November 1971. He was awarded the medal Bir Uttom for his gallantry in the liberation war. He was released from military service by Indian military medical board in Pune, India after his leg was amputated. After independence, he was inducted into the Bangladesh Army for administrative retirement with legacy rank of lieutenant colonel. After settling in with family, the government of Bangladesh appointed him with employment at Kumilla. Later Taher turned into a political activist and leader of the left-wing Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal.
Bangladesh has undergone several changes of government since its independence. Between the first recorded uprising in August 1975 and the last known attempt in December 2011, Bangladesh has been through as many as 29 military Coups.
Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood is a 1986 book by Pakistani journalist Anthony Mascarenhas. It is a non-fictional account of the history of Bangladesh from its independence in 1971. The book chronicles the bloody coups and uprisings in the post-independence Bangladesh. The book focuses on the two towering figures of Bangladeshi politics, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman. They are popularly credited as two key architects of modern Bangladesh and the rule of each was ended by assassination.
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 Mujibur Rahman and installed Khondaker Mushtaque Ahmed as President of Bangladesh.
The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed 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.
Ziaur Rahman, the sixth president of Bangladesh, was assassinated by a faction of officers of Bangladesh Army, on 30 May 1981, in the south-eastern port city of Chittagong. Rahman went to Chittagong to arbitrate in a clash between the local leaders of his political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. On the night of 30 May, a group of officers commandeered the Chittagong Circuit House, a government residence where Rahman was staying, shooting him and several others.
Muhammed Abul ManzurBU was a Bangladeshi military officer who commanded the Bangladesh Forces operations in Sector 8 during the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan in 1971. He was allegedly involved in the assassination of the then-President of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. The erstwhile Chief of Army Staff and alleged mastermind of Rahman's assassination, Hussein Muhammad Ershad, had put a standing shoot-to-kill order on Manzur's life—he was killed shortly after being captured at the border. About a year later, Ershad initiated a bloodless coup d'état and took over the Central Government, holding power until 1990.
1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency refers to the period after the independence of Bangladesh when left-wing Communist insurgents, particularly the Gonobahini fought against the government of the Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The 7 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état was a coup d'état launched by left-wing army personnel in collaboration with left-wing politicians from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. The coup resulted in the death of Major General Khaled Mosharraf, who only 3 days prior, led a coup against those involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During the coup, Ziaur Rahman was freed from house arrest, enabling him to seize power and become president.
MoslemuddinKhan, also known as Rafiqul Islam Khan, is a Bangladeshi army officer who was convicted for his role in the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup and the subsequent jail killings. He was sentenced to death in absentia and is currently a fugitive.
Zia Memorial Museum, also known as Old Circuit House was a circuit house building. Ziaur Rahman, the seventh president of Bangladesh, was assassinated in the building in 1981. Today it is a museum. It is located in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Azizur Rahman ministry was created from 15 April 1979 to 24 March 1982. The cabinet served under President Ziaur Rahman till the assassination of Ziaur Rahman.
The Biplobi Shainik Sangstha was a clandestine socialist group within the Bangladesh Army, which was active from 1973 to 1975. The BSS was formed by the left-wing party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and led by Major (dismissed) M.A. Jalil and Lt. Colonel (retired) Abu Taher. The BSS is known for organising the 7 November 1975 coup which enabled Ziaur Rahman to become president.
Abu Yousuf Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, also known as A.Y.M. Mahfuzur Rahman, was a Bangladeshi army officer who served as a sub-sector commander during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1981, he was executed for his alleged involvement in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
Mohammad Delwar Hossain was a lieutenant colonel in the Bangladesh Army who had served as a sub-sector commander in sector 6 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was subsequently executed for his alleged involvement in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman in 1981.
Rafiqul Hassan Khan was a Bangladeshi army officer who was executed for this alleged involvement in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
Jamil Haque was a Captain in the Bangladesh Army who was executed for his involvement in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
Mujibur Rahman was a Bangladeshi army officer who was executed for his alleged role in the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman.
Beginning on 9 October 1977, the government of Ziaur Rahman carried out mass executions of military personnel, following a series of attempted coups in Bangladesh. According to official records, 1143 members of the Bangladesh armed forces were hanged in two months, following 9 October 1977. This was the first mass execution of military personnel on this scale in South Asia.
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