NEW DELHI: Bangladesh has handed over a retired army major to the military for trial under military law over his alleged role in the 1981 assassination of then-President Ziaur Rahman, father of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
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Major (retd.) Mozaffar Hossain was arrested last week from the Defence Officers Housing Scheme (DOHS) in Dhaka's Banani area.
"Major (retd.) Mozaffar Hossain has been arrested and handed over to the Bangladesh Army for trial under military law," home minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters.
According to Ahmed, the retired officer had been a fugitive for several years in a "neighbouring country," without identifying it.
"The major's other associates were tried by a military court at the time, and certain observations were recorded in those proceedings. He had remained a fugitive for many years in a neighbouring country under a different identity," the minister added.
Explaining why Hossain would face trial under military law, Ahmed noted that this is because there is "no legal provision to try an individual separately under both civil and military laws for the same offence."
"Therefore, the trial in this case will be conducted under military law," he stated.
Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician, was assassinated in the southeastern port city of Chattogram on May 30, 1981.
Following a general court-martial in the case, 13 military officers were hanged, while five others received varying prison terms.
According to official records, military and police investigations at the time identified Hossain as an "active or direct participant" in the coup that led to Rahman's assassination.
Rahman's wife, Khaleda Zia, who died in December last year, was Bangladesh's first woman prime minister.
(With PTI inputs)
