Gen Manzoor murder charges against late military ruler Ershad dropped

The police have submitted a supplementary charge-sheet against three people in Maj Gen Abul Manzoor murder case, dropping names of former military ruler HM Ershad and another dead suspect.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad addressing a news conference in Dhaka on Thursday, a day after returning home from Singapore where he had received treatment for illness. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad addressing a news conference in Dhaka on Thursday, a day after returning home from Singapore where he had received treatment for illness. Photo: Mahmud Zaman Ovi

Investigator Kutub Uddin, a superintendent of police at their Criminal Investigation Department or CID, presented the charge-sheet at the court of Dhaka’s First Additional District and Sessions Judge Dilara Alo Chandana on Jan 12.

Besides Ershad, the other dead accused whose name was dropped from the charge-sheet is Maj Gen Abdul Latif, the court’s clerk Noor Mohammad Khan said on Friday.

The three named in the charge-sheet are Maj Kazi Emdadul Haque, Lt Col Mostofa Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan and Lt Col Shamsur Rahman Shamser, all retired army officers.

The judge set Jan 25 for the hearing on the charge-sheet, clerk Noor said.

Bangladesh’s first military strongman Ziaur Rahman was killed in an attempted coup in Chattogram in 1981. Manzoor was the General Officer Commanding of the 24th Infantry Division in Chattogram at the time.

Police arrested Manzoor after Zia’s assassination. The freedom fighter general was shot dead after he was taken to Chattogram Cantonment from police custody.

Ershad subsequently grabbed power before being deposed in 1990 following a movement. He died in July 2019.

Manzoor’s brother Abul Mansur Ahmed started a case with Panchlaish Police Station in 1995 -- 14 years after the murder, as he received the autopsy report and death certificate much later.