Court asks for death report of Ershad

A Dhaka court yesterday asked for a report on the death of former Jatiya Party chairman late HM Ershad, who was an accused in connection with the Maj Gen Abul Manzur murder case.

Judge Sharif AS Zakir Reza of First Additional Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka directed officers-in-charge of Cantonment and Banani police stations to submit reports on Ershad’s death by October 2.

The order came after Ershad’s lawyer submitted a petition saying that Ershad died on July 14.

Meantime, the court directed Criminal Investigation Department to submit by October 2 the report on further probe into the murder. 

CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akond, who is also the investigation officer of the case, took over 24 dates to complete the probe.

Earlier, the case was fixed for pronouncement of judgement. But the prosecution submitted a petition for further investigation into the murder.

Maj Gen Abul Manzur, commander of Sector-8 during the Liberation War, was killed in Chattogram Cantonment on June 1, 1981, two days after the assassination of the then president Ziaur Rahman.

A case was filed by Abul Manzur’s elder brother Abul Mansur Ahmed on February 28, 1995.

According to the charge-sheet, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, the then chief of army staff, was named as the prime accused.