Fourteen people mostly belonging to the ruling party have been named as masterminds behind the murder of M A Awal, senior vice president of Bagerhat district unit of BNP on December 5, 2001 at Jatrapur bazar under Sadar thana.

The killers hired by the masterminds were armed cadres of Purbo Banglar Communist Party, said Md Nizamuddin, one of the masterminds who made his judicial confession under 164 in the court of First Class Magistrate Harun-or-Rashid of Bagerhat Sadar Court on Wednesday afternoon.

Awal was killed just after one week of the final decision taken unanimously at a secret meeting in Bagerhat town where we all the 14 were present, Nizamuddin also an activist of Jubo Dal said in his judicial confession.

The masterminds included three top leaders of Krishak Dal and Jubo Dal and a top leader of Bagerhat city unit of Jubo League, said Nizamuddin who was quizzed in police remand three times before his statement was recorded in the court under 164.