Prosecution prays for justice

Anisul Huq, the principal state counsel for the jail killing case, yesterday prayed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for justice in the case.
He said the lower court and High Court in their verdicts ignored the charge of conspiracy to kill four national leaders in Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
Anisul was citing statements of prosecution witnesses while placing arguments during a hearing before the Appellate Division.
Yesterday was the sixth day of the hearing on the government's appeal against the HC verdict that acquitted six former army personnel in the case.
The six acquitted are Marfat Ali Shah, Abdul Hashem Mridha, Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda and Maj (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed.
However, Farooq, Shahriar, Bazlul Huda and Mohiuddin were executed in connection with Bangabandhu assassination case.
According to Anisul, the then president Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed held a meeting with the accused of the jail killing case on November 2, 1975 night when the decision to kill the leaders was taken.
As per the decision, Risaldar (retd) Muslemuddin, Marfat and Hashem went to Dhaka Central Jail the next day to kill the leaders.
In 2004, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court sentenced the trio to death and 12 others to life for abetting the three in killing Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, AHM Quamruzzaman and Capt Mansur Ali. In 2008, the HC upheld the capital punishment of Muslemuddin, but acquitted Marfat and Hashem.