Dhaka: Bangladesh has executed a former military captain for his involvement in the 1975 coup in which the country's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated, nearly four-and-a-half decades after the massacre.
Abdul Majed was hanged at 12.01 AM (local time), Law Minister Anisul Huq told PTI. An official of the Dhaka Central Jail at Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital said that a doctor declared Majed dead at 12.15 AM.
Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General AKM Mostafa Kamal Pasha at a media briefing in front of the jail said that the body would now be handed over to the family members for burial.
"Concerned officials who were required to witness the execution under law were present," he said, adding this was the first case of execution since the Dhaka Central Jail was relocated at the newly-built facility at Keraniganj two years ago.
Jailor Mahbubul Islam later said that the officials present included Dhaka's deputy commissioner who is the district magistrate as well, police superintendent and the civil surgeon and the deputy inspector general of prisons.
A number of people gathered in front of the jail at the midnight, defying COVID-19 restrictions.
He said that Mazed was executed by hanging. Majed was arrested in Dhaka on Tuesday after hiding in India for nearly two-and-a-half decades.
On Friday, Majed's wife and four other relatives met him for nearly two hours in the prison. President Abdul Hamid on Thursday rejected his mercy plea, removing the last hurdle for his hanging.
A specialised police unit arrested Majed, one of the fugitive convicted Bangabandhu assassins, as he returned home after hiding for nearly two and half decades in India.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the "self confessed killer" was not only involved in Bangabandhu's assassination but also took part in the subsequent killing of four national leaders in high security Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
He said previous reports indicated Majed was hiding in India but eventually he was arrested from Dhaka as he secretly returned last month.
Police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested him in a predawn raid at Mirpur area while he was roaming around a shrine.
Majed is one of the six absconding ex-army officers who were handed down capital punishment after trial in absentia. A prosecution lawyer said Majed told the court that he returned to Bangladesh on March 15 or 16.
The convict, he said, claimed he managed to live secretly in Kolkata for the past 23 years.
Twelve ex-military officers were sentenced to death for the August 15, 1975 killing of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members. Five of them have been executed while one died of natural causes as he was on the run abroad.
Bangabandhu's elder daughter and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and younger daughter Sheikh Rehana survived as they were on a visit to the then West Germany at the time of the putsch, which also toppled Bangladesh's post independence government.
The five convicts were hanged at Dhaka Central Jail on January 28, 2010, after a protracted legal procedure while the delayed trial process began in 1996 when an infamous indemnity law was scrapped as it was protecting the assassins from justice until then.
Majed was one of the remaining fugitives believed to be hiding abroad with no confirmed whereabouts.
The rest of the fugitives included the key mastermind of the coup ex-lieutenant colonel Abdur Rashid. Interpol issued red alert against the absconders believed to be hiding in several countries including Pakistan.
Bangladesh confirmed two cases where two convicts took refuge in the United States and Canada, one of them is said to have shot dead Bangladesh's founder.
Dhaka said it was trying to extradite them but Canada declined to entertain the request citing provisions of the country's laws.
After the 1975 carnage, Majed was rehabilitated in civil service during the subsequent regime of former military-dictator-turned-politician Ziaur Rahman as an ex-cadre official and posted as the director of National Savings Department.
He later fled the country while serving in the finance ministry along with other 1975 coup plotters as the 1996 general elections brought Awami League back to power which vowed to expose to justice Bangabandhu killers in line with its election manifesto.
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New Delhi (PTI): India and Canada on Monday sealed key pacts on supplies of Uranium and critical minerals and vowed to soon conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney finalising a new framework to shore up ties including taking bilateral annual trade to USD 50 billion by 2030.
In their wide-ranging talks, the two leaders also pledged to ramp up cooperation in defence, critical technologies, small and modular nuclear reactors, education and renewable energy as Modi said the relations between the two countries are now filled with new energy, mutual trust and positivity.
Canada is set to support India's civil nuclear energy sector under the USD 2.6 billion uranium supply agreement.
The prime minister said both sides agreed that terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation are common and serious challenges not only for India and Canada but for all humanity. "Our close cooperation against these is crucial for global peace and stability," he said.
Modi and Carney also deliberated on the precarious security situation in West Asia with PM Modi asserting that India supports the resolution of all conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.
"The current situation in West Asia is a matter of deep concern for us. India supports the resolution of all disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. We will continue to work with all countries to ensure the safety of all Indian citizens in the region," the prime minister said in his media statement.
The major outcomes of the Modi-Carney talks were their decision to expand trade relations, a move that comes amid Canada's increasingly frosty economic ties with the Trump administration.
The fresh move to bolster ties came as part of ongoing efforts by the two sides to reset the relations that came under severe strain following a diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani separatist in 2023.
"Our goal is to reach USD 50 billion in trade by 2030. Unlocking the full potential of economic cooperation is our priority. Therefore, we have decided to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement soon.
"This will create new investment and employment opportunities in both countries," Modi said.
"Canada's pension funds have invested USD 100 billion in India. This symbolises their deep belief in India's growth story," he said.
The volume of two-way annual trade at present is around USD 13 billion.
The prime minister said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on critical minerals will strengthen resilient supply chains. Canada is known for its significant reservoir of critical minerals and rare earth materials.
"In the energy sector, we are building a next-generation partnership, which will focus on hydrocarbons as well as renewable energy, green hydrogen and energy storage," Modi said.
"In civil nuclear energy, we have signed a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply. We will also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors," he said.
Modi said the growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence and security symbolises the deep mutual trust and the maturity of the relationship.
"We will work to enhance defence industries, maritime domain awareness and military exchanges. To this end, today we have decided to establish the India-Canada defence dialogue," he said.
The prime minister also highlighted the expansion of two-way ties in the education sector.
"New partnerships between several universities in AI, healthcare, agriculture and innovation are being announced. We also agreed on Canadian universities opening campuses in India," he said.
The prime minister also made a mention of how India and Canada share an "unwavering belief" in democratic values.
"We celebrate diversity. The well-being of humanity is our shared vision. This vision inspires us to move forward in every field. Today, we discussed transforming this vision into a next level partnership," he said.
In his remarks, Carney mentioned the future of India-Canada energy ties.
"Today, we are launching a strategic energy partnership with significant potential to expand bilateral energy trade. We've signed a new critical minerals partnership spanning development, processing and secure supply chains for clean energy, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing," he said.
"We're deepening our cooperation in clean energy, expanding collaboration across wind, solar and hydrogen, because Canada has big plans as well," he said.
Carney described the uranium supply agreement as a reflection of shared commitment to clean, reliable energy.
"All of these agreements under one planet are the beginning of a new, prosperous relationship that will offer generational opportunities for workers and businesses in both their countries and which will protect the planet for future generations," he said.
Carney landed in New Delhi on Sunday after spending two days in Mumbai, where he met several industry leaders.
In the face of its tense trade ties with the Trump administration, Canada is looking at building a stronger, independent and more resilient economy.
In the last few months, India and Canada have taken several steps to normalise their relations.
India-Canada ties hit rock bottom following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd".
In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April last year helped in beginning the process to reset relations.
Subsequently, both sides have already posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals.
Last June, Modi travelled to Kananaskis, Canada, to attend the G7 summit. Modi and Carney held extensive talks on the margins of the summit with a focus on rebuilding the ties.
