Armymen dragged Bangabandhu towards stairs and shot him
The second witness in the Bangabandhu murder case yesterday made his deposition in the court of District and Sessions Judge, Dhaka, reports UNB.
Abdur Rahman alias Rama, a servant in Bangabandhu's house, said he witnessed the killing of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975.
Making his deposition before Judge Kazi Golam Rasul, the second witness, Rama, who was 14/15 years old at that time, told the court that he witnessed the killing of Bangabandhu.
He said before killing Bangabandhu, a group of armymen first surrounded him in front of his bedroom when the President asked the army personnel, "What do you want? Where do you want to take me?"He (Mujib) was then dragged towards the stairs when another group of soldiers from the lower and of the staircase shot at him, said a weeping Rama, who also hails from Tungipara.
Narrating the story of the fateful night of August 15, the witness said he and another servant, Selim, used to sleep on the corridor in front of Bangabandhu's bedroom and both were sleeping there that night.
He went on saying, "Suddenly early in the morning, at about 4:30 am, Begum Mujib came out of her room and awoke and informed me about the attack on Serniabat's house."Rama said then he went down and walked up to the lakeside outside the house when he saw a group of armymen advancing towards the house opening fire.
"As I came inside the house, I found Bangabandhu talking over phone from the reception," he said, adding "I went upstairs through the backside staircase and found Begum Mujib moving anxiously on the corridor."Rama then went to the second floor of house and awoke Sheikh Kamal and his wife and ran down to the first floor and awoke Sheikh Jamal and his wife and informed them about the attack.
Bangabandhu's eldest son, Sheikh Kamal, wearing a pant and shirt went down, Rama said. Afterwards, "I heard sound of firing and groaning of 'Kamal Bhai."He said Bangabandhu went upstairs into his room and closed the door when he (Rama) took shelter in an adjacent room and also closed the door. Tremendous firing was going on outside the house at that time, he added.
As Bangabandhu came out of his room, Rama told the court, he also came out and saw a group of armymen surrounding Bangabandhu standing near the bedroom.
As the armymen surrounding him and dragged him towards the stairs, another group fired on him. Bangabandhu fell dead on the stairs.
After killing Bangabandhu, an army person enquired me about my identity and asked me to go inside. I then ran to Bangabandhu's room and went into the bathroom where I found Begum Mujib along with Sheikh Jamal, Sultana Kamal, Rosy Jamal, Sheikh Russel and injured Sheikh Naser."Begum Mujib tore her saree and gave a bandage to Sheikh Naser, added the house servant.
"Amma, they (army) shot saheb," Rama told Begum Mujib.
Soon after the army had come to the room and knocked the door, Begum Mujib said: "I will open the door," Sheikh Jamal, who was standing beside his mother, said he would open the door. But Begum Mujib said: "Let me open the door. If we die, we will die together."Then Begum Mujib opened the door and the armymen ''brought out Begum Mujib, me, Sheikh Russel and Sheikh Naser and dragged us downstairs'', said the witness.
As Begum Mujib came out of the room and got struck seeing the body of Bangabandhu..... she shouted "I will not go anywhere. Kill me here."The army personnel then dragged Begum Mujib towards the bedroom and soon sounds of firing and screams of women were heard, Rama said making his deposition on the fifth day of cross-examination in the trial of the stately murder case that began on July 6.
He went on saying that then the armymen brought him, Russel and Sheikh Naser to a line outside the building. "I saw there the body of policeman in plainclothes lying on the ground."One army person then asked Sheikh Naser about his identity and took him inside the building. "I heard sound of firing and groaning of Sheikh Naser .... 'baba ... ma...."A scared and weeping Russel went near AFM Muhitul Islam, plaintiff of the case, and asked: "Will they also kill me?" Muhitul Islam told him: "No brother, they will not kill you."Rama, who said he witnessed the whole episode of the tragedy of President Mujib and his family members, further said. As the weeping Russel wanted to go to his mother, one army person got hold of him (Russel) and said: "Come on. I will take you to your mother.""But, soon after the army person had taken Russel inside the house, I heard the sound of firing and groaning," said Rama.
In his deposition, he said some army persons wearing in black were seen looting valuables from Bangabandhu's house.
After some time, Rama told the court, a tank came rolling near the gate of the house and some armymen coming out of the tank asked the soldiers at the gate: "What is the situation."Replied one (army person) standing near the gate: "All finished."Rama said he was released by the army from the house at around 12 noon and asked to go away.
"Out of fear of life I straight went to my village home at Gopalganj," said Bangabandhu's servant, after 22 years of the killing, completing his deposition.
Rama is now working as peon at Livestock Directorate in Gopalganj.
However, after submission of deposition by Abdur Rahman alias Rama, defence counsels began cross-examination of the witness. Anwar Jahid Bhuiyan, counsel for accused Capt (Retd) Abdul Wahab Joardar, began the cross-examination in absence of his senior, Abdur Razzak Khan.
Most of the State Defence counsels for the fugitives declined to cross-examine Rama.
The court was adjourned till 10:30 am Wednesday.
Earlier, Sharfuddin Mukul, lawyer for accused Taheruddin Thakur, completed his cross-examination of AFM Muhitul Islam.
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