Col Jamil said Gen Zia was behind Aug 15 incident

Col Shafaat Jamil said a few days after the August 15 killing that General Ziaur Rahman was behind the incident, Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah told the court yesterday, reports UNB.

General Shafiullah said on the early morning of August 15, 1975 he called Deputy Chief of Army Maj Gen Ziaur Rahman and CGS Brig Khaled Mosharraf to his house. Zia, clean-shaved and uniformed, came by an official car while unshaved Khaled, wearing night dress, reached there driving his personal car.

He said Gen Zia used to give shelter to those officers against whom he took disciplinary actions.

Continuing his Tuesday's incomplete deposition before the court, the 45th prosecution witness of the Bangabandhu Murder Case said few days after the August 15 tragedy 46 Brigade Commander Col Shafaat Jamil told him, "Sir, don't trust him. Your deputy is behind all this."The first Chief of Bangladesh Army said General Zia took over the charge of the Chief of Army Staff on his own. Shafiullah said General Osmany, the then Defence Advisor to President Mushtaque, on August 24 praised him highly for his contribution and said that "the country now requires service from you abroad."He said getting the message, he met President Mushtaque, who also spoke like Osmany. The witness said as he told the President that he didn't have the mentality to go abroad, Mushtaque told him, "Don't think of staying in the country."He said he then asked Mushtaque, "Who is replacing me?" In reply, Mustaque said, "Zia."Shafiullah said before entering Bangabhaban at about 5:30 pm at the call of President Mustaque, he found General Zia along with Brig Khalil driving out of the President House in a car.

The witness said after going back to the cantonment, he found that Zia had already taken over the charge and was addressing the officers as the Chief of Army Staff before the charge had been handed over to him.

Shafiullah said Zia even went to Bangabandhu and said that he (Shafiullah) will not be able to control the officers and requested him to give the charge of the army chief.

The PW-45 described the reasons of dismissal of some officers from the army and some of the incidents before and after the killing of Bangabandhu that included raising of Rakkhi Bahini. Those incidents led to commotion in the army as vested quarters misinterpreted those, he said.

About raising of the Rakkhi Bahini, Gen Shafiullah said with the deterioration of law and order situation after the independence and failure of police to recover illegal arms, army was called out to do the job.

As this job was hampering the training of the newly built army, Gen Shafiullah said, he met Bangabandhu and requested him to give the responsibility to others and with that aim the Rakkhi Bahini was raised.

Some quarters reacted over raising of the Rakkhi Bahini and started ventilating that it had been created as an alternative to the army, he said.

Besides, when the army was engaged in recovering illegal arms, a few unruly and unwanted situation happened in which some army officers were involved, he added.

He said Major Dalim, who was engaged in the job at Kasba area in Comilla, beat up two to three members of Chhatra League to take revenge of student-life rivalry.

Major Dalim along with some army officers attacked the house of Gazi Golam Mostafa over a quarrel he picked up with Mostafa's son in a wedding party in 1973. Major Dalim was relieved from the army for his indisciplinary behaviour, he said.

Major Noor, who was PS to Deputy Chief of Army Maj Gen Ziaur Rahman, the witness said, was dismissed from the service for his anti-government statements protesting the dismissal of Major Dalim.

Some vested quarters made a negative propaganda on the issues and that also helped in building commotion in the army, he said.

The power to arrest vested in Rakkhi Bahini by a law enacted by the government also created a confusion following negative propaganda by certain quarters, he said, adding that it also created dissatisfaction in the army.

Shafiullah said the forced retirement of Col Taher and Lt Col Ziauddin from the service was on disciplinary ground. He said Taher had been relieved of as one day in 1974, coming to his office, Taher said, "Sir, you are in this post for quite a long time, now relinquish it to Ziaur Rahman."Lt Col Ziauddin, commander of 46 Brigade, was given retirement for writing an anti-government political article published in the weekly Holiday, he said, adding Bangabandhu asked for dismissing Ziauddin as he refused to withdraw the article.

Gen Shafiullah added that these two incidents had also created dissatisfaction in the army.