Release Day of Agartala case accused today

21 February 2008, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Today is the historic Release Day of 34 accused, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the Agartala case framed by the Pakistan government during the Ayub regime. In the case filed in 1968, a total of 35 political leaders and civil and military officials were charged with planning to liberate Bangladesh from Pakistan. Bangabandhu was the No. 1 accused in the case. But a mass upsurge finally compelled the then government to withdraw the case and 34 detainees were released from Dhaka Cantonment on this day in 1969. Sergeant Zahurul Haq, 17th accused in the case, was shot dead on February 15 in 1969 while in confinement in the cantonment. In a statement yesterday, Muktijoddha Sanghati Parishad called on the caretaker government to recognise the accused and the hostile approvers in the case as national heroes in recognition of their contribution to the country's independence. Previous governments had considered the issue of recognition, but nothing concrete has been done to this end, said the press release signed by Parishad Chairman Col (retd) Shawkat Ali, the 26th accused in the Agartala case. A bill regarding the issue was also placed in the seventh parliament, it added. The other accused in the Agartala case were late Lt Commander Moazzem Hossain (Navy), late Steward Mujibur Rahman (Navy), late LS Sultan Uddin Ahmed (Navy), LS Noor Mohammad (Navy), late Ahmed Fazlur Rahman CSP, late Flight Sergeant Mofizullah (Air Force), Corporal ABM Abdus Samad (Air Force), late Habilder Daliluddin (Army), late Ruhul Kuddus CSP, late Flight Sergeant Md Fazlul Haque (Air Force), late Bhupoti Bhushan Chowdhury alias Manik Chowdhury (political leader), late Bidhan Krishna Sen (political leader), late Subedar Abdur Razzaq (Army), late Habildar Mujibur Rahman (Army), late Flight Sergeant Md Abdur Razzaq (Army), AB Mohammad Khurshid (Navy), Khan Mohammad Shamsur Rahman (CSP), late Risalder Shamsul Haque (Army), late Habilder Azizul Haque (Army), SOC Mahfuzul Bari (Air Force), late Sergeant Shamsul Haque (Air Force), Col Shamsul Alam (Army), late Maj Mohammad Abdul Motalib (Army), late Col Khandker Nazmul Huda (Army), late Brig ANM Nuruzzaman (Army), Flight Sergeant Abdul Jalil (Army), Md Mahbubuddin Chowdhury (company executive), late Lt MM Matiur Rahman (Navy), late Subedar AKM Tazul Islam (Army), late Mohammad Ali Reza (instructor, NIPA), Brig Khurshid Uddin Ahmed (Army) and Commander Abdur Rouf (Navy). And the hostile approvers were late Kamal uddin Ahmed (Navy), late ABM Yusuf (Army), Abul Hossain and late Bankim Chandra Datta.