Homage to slain leaders

Jail killing is one of the darkest episodes in our history. It not only eliminated the patriotic leaders but also greatly undermined the spirit of our liberation war. The crime committed by some misled members of the army completely changed the complexion of politics in this country. All the more so because it actually followed the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15, 1975. The blueprint of the killers was quite obvious -- they wanted to eliminate the leaders who had played a pivotal role in the war of liberation in a bid to foster ethos counter to those of our freedom struggle. Nowhere in the civilised world have national leaders been killed in such a brutal manner and that, too, in a jail where the prisoners are supposed to be protected by the government.

Enough time has elapsed since we had the misfortune of losing the four leaders. The conscientious always demanded that the killers be punished. However, politics and intrigues stood in the way of bringing the killers to justice for 21 years. The verdict on the jail killing case was finally delivered after long 29 years. But it failed to bring solace to the members of the families of the leaders as they believe that justice has not been meted out the way it ought to have been. What is difficult to accept is that nobody has been convicted for masterminding the crime, although there must have been those who had called the shots from behind.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

We remember the national leaders whose relentless efforts helped us emerge as an independent nation, nine months after the liberation war began.