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MANZUR MURDER-3

The killing mission

SHAKHAWAT LlTON and CHAITANYA CHANDRA HALDER
*** President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in Chittagong on May 30, 1081. Two days later, General Manzur was murdered. Facts related to the planned killing of Manzur show how top military leaders at the time desperately tried to bury the truth behind the Zia killing and how it helped them seize power. Manzur was the unsuspecting victim of their duplicity, which has become evident from the depositions of witnesses and the accused and from some authoritative books on the killing.
All these years since June 1081, justice for Manzur and his family has remained elusive. ***
Sometime before sunset on June 1,1981, two brigadier generals - Azizul Islam and Abdul Latif - sat down at the former's office in Chittagong cantonment and finalised the course of action regarding execution of the orders they had been given by their chief.
Brig Aziz, commandant of East Bengal Regimental Centre of Chittagong cantonment, then summoned an army captain, Kazi Emdadul Haq, to his office. Emdad, a commander in the training wingof EBRC, rushed there.
In the presence of Latif, Aziz ordered his junior officer to carry out a special assignment.
Brig Latif, commander of 203 Brigade at Khagrachhari, was on leave in Dhaka when President Zia was killed. He rushed to Chittagong on June 1 on Ershad's directive.
"Major General M A Manzur was captured by police. He is now at Hathazari police station. 11 is wife, two daughters and one son are with him. The wife and two children of Lt Col Del war | who was an accused in the Zia killing] are also with him. Major Khaled was also captured and he is in police custody," Aziz informed the captain.
He also gave necessary instructions to Emdad on how to carry out the special assignment.
Emdad, in line with the instructions, would have to go to Hathazari police station with a jeep, a pickup and five guards. The wives and children of the two army officers would board the pick-up and would have to be escorted by three guards, who would drop them at their houses in the cantonment. "Major General Manzur and Major Khaled |who was an accused in the Zia killing| will have to be put in your |Emdad| jeep. Both of them will have to be killed on the way to the cantonment from Hathazari police station or at any convenient place after you enter the cantonment," said Aziz.
Staring at Latif he said: "This is all I've got sir."
"It's okay," replied Latif, signifying his consent to the plan.
"Major Khaled is an extraordinary officer and he will make all out efforts to escape. He knows how to survive even if he is dropped into water with his hands and feet tied," Latif warned Emdad. "So, Khaled will have to be killed first," Latif ordered Emdad.
Emdad stood silent. " Do you have anything more to say," Aziz asked.
"I need major Kamal with me," replied Emdad.
"Kamal will be around you," Aziz quipped.
"Why is Kamal needed," questioned Latif.
"The task is very difficult," answered Emdad.
"Officers younger than you have done tasks more difficult than this one," Latif rebuked Emdad.
The telephone rang, suddenly. Aziz picked it up and indicated that Emdad would have to step out of his office.
No one else but army chief Ershad called up Aziz.
"Right sir; yes sir. Work is going on as per your instructions. I have already detailed manpower. They will go soon [to Hathazari police station|," Aziz told Ershad over the phone.
At one stage, he said: "Brigadier Latif is here. Will you speak to him?" Aziz sought to know from the army chief and instantly handed the phone over to Latif.
"Latif, I have given detailed instructions to Brigadier Aziz. He [Manzur] should be finished," Ershad told Latif.
"Yes, sir,” Latif replied.
The phone conversation was over. They came out of the office after 15 minutes. "Will you think once more sir," Aziz told Latif.
"Decision has been taken, it has to be done," Latif gave a quick reply.
Assigned by the two brigadier generals, Emdad went to the training battalion and asked the subedar major of the battalion to send one section of efficient noncommanding officers (NCO) to him. After sometime 10 NCOs came. He also asked for four more soldiers and three drivers.
Along with the group of soldiers, Emdad went to the centre of the training ground. The sun had gone down sometime before. Darkness engulfed them. They were not seen from adjacent areas. Emdad briefed them about the special assignment. They assured Emdad of extending all cooperation and requested him not to be afraid.
On completion of preparations, Emdad reported to Aziz and Latif,
who wished him success.
At around 8:00pm, the squad led by Emdad started for Hathazari police station, 20 km off Chittagong cantonment.
They found a crowd outside the police station compound and many police personnel inside. Emdad met DIG Shajahan there and informed him about the order given by the two brigadier generals to bring Manzur and others under army custody.
But Sheikh Maruful Haq, superintendent of police, had refused to hand over Manzur to the soldiers. This annoyed Emdad. He was getting edgy and threatened to take Manzur by force.
On advice of the deputy commissioner, Ziauddin M Choudhury, Maruful informed Emdad that the local administration was communicating with the acting president for instructions from the government. This gave little relief to Maruful, who was facing an armed group of soldiers in the police station.
But Emdad and his soldiers lost patience very soon. "The army contingent is getting restive," Maruful phoned the deputy commissioner in the next few minutes.
Divisional Commissioner Saifuddin again called the acting president. This time, Justice Sattar informed him that he had consulted Ershad. "Manzur should be handed over to the army," Sattar ordered.
Ali Mohammad Iqbal, deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, made a phone call to Aziz to confirm the identity of
the army officers who had gone to the police station.
In response, Aziz told Iqbal that he and Latif had sent Emdad to take Manzur and others under army custody on the directives of the army chief. He asked Iqbal to hand them over to Emdad. The police eventually agreed.
Manzur understood that the army men had gone there to take him. He hurriedly called DIG Shajahan and said: "Shajahan, I surrendered to you. I will stay in police custody. You can in no way send me to the cantonment," argued Manzur.
Emdad was, however, surprised to find there Major Rezaul Karim, who was his batch mate and whom Manzur had engaged as security officer during turbulent times. He did not find Major Khaled, who fled Chittagong cantonment along with General Manzur.
Emdad quickly decided to save Major Reza, who had surrendered to the police along with General Manzur. Reza was put on another jeep and sent to the EBRC in the cantonment, escorted by three soldiers.
Emdad and his team found it difficult to detach Manzur's wife from him. She held Manzur's hand tightly and made it clear that she would go with Manzur wherever he was taken.
Then Emdad ordered some of his soldiers to forcibly separate her from Manzur. Once that was done, the soldiers tied Manzur's hands behind his back, blindfolded and put him on a jeep. The family members of
Manzur and Delwar were put on the pick-up and sent to the EBRC.
The jeep carrying Manzur, Emdad and five guards started for Chittagong cantonment. Police escorted them up to the second gate of the cantonment. The jeep then entered the cantonment.
But Emdad could not decide his next course of action. The jeep moved about in the cantonment aimlessly for about one and a half hours.
At one stage, Emdad found a jeep coming towards them. He got down from his jeep and went to the other jeep and found some army officers, including Lt Col Shamsur Rahman and Major Kamal Liddin Bhuiyan.
Shams and Kamal, on instructions from Brig Aziz, were looking for Emdad inside the cantonment. Due to the delay in the execution of the task, Ershad repeatedly asked Aziz to kill Manzur before first light. Noticing Emdad at around 11:00pm, Shams enquired about the delay in the completion of the task and ordered that the job be done quickly.
The jeep carrying Manzur and Emdad then moved towards the firing range. It stopped at the firing range and went to the northern side adjacent to the hill.
Manzur appeared to have understood what was going to happen to him. "Tell my wife to forgive me. 1 could not leave anything for her and for my children," Manzur told Emdad and the NCOs in the dark of the night.
Emdad and others apologised to
Manzur.
It was now time to finish Manzur. Emdad ensured that all his men had unloaded their weapons. He loaded a Chinese rifle with only one bullet. And he sought to know who wanted to shoot the general.
"It is not possible for me to shoot the general," said Havildar Mozaffar.
Another soldier, Delwar, also refused to shoot the general.
Then Havildar Malek agreed to shoot. He shot the general in the head. Manzur collapsed on the ground.
Emdad and his men returned to the jeep and found Lt Col Shams and Major Kamal. "Have you completed the task?" Shams and Kamal asked Emdad.
"Yes," Emdad and his soldiers replied.
But Shams and Kamal wanted to be certain and they wanted to see the body of the slain general. Emdad had, therefore, to take them to the spot. In the darkness, they lit a match stick and identified Manzur's corpse.
Emdad and his team then went to the EBRC.
Shams and Kamal entered Aziz's office. Aziz and Latif were waiting there for the "desired good" news.
[The report has been prepared on the basis of the depositions of witnesses and accused in the Manzur murder case and the book, "Assassination of Ziaur Rahman and the aftermath", by Ziauddin M. Choudhury, who was deputy commissioner of Chittagong in 1981.]