Manzur murder verdict on Feb 10

A Dhaka court has set Feb 10 to deliver the verdict on the murder of Major General Abul Manzur in 1981. The court of the first Additional District and Sessions Judge Hosney Ara Akter set the date on Wednesday after finishing hearing arguments. The prime accused, former president and Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad was present at the court during the arguments. Apart from Ershad, the others accused are Major (retired) Kazi Emdadul Haque, Lt Col (retired) Mostafa Kamaluddin Bhuiyan, Lt Col (retired) Shams and Major Gen (retired) Abdul Latif. Legal proceedings against Lt Col Shams and Major Gen Latif have been stopped by an order of the High Court. The two other officers were present in the court along with Ershad on Wednesday. According to the case details, Major Kazi Emdadul brought Major Gen Muhammad Abul Manzur to Chittagong Cantonment from police custody on June 1, 1981, immediately after the assassination of erstwhile President Ziaur Rahman, and later killed Manzur there. Manzur was blamed as the man responsible for Zia’s assassination in Chittagong Circuit House. Manzur’s brother Barrister Abul Mansur Ahmed filed a case with Panchlais Police Station in Chittagong on Feb 28, 1995, 14 years after Manzur was murdered. Erstwhile assistant police superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand pressed charges against the accused on June 27, 1995. Trial proceedings against two of the four charge-sheeted accused were stayed following a High Court order. Later, the murder case was transferred to Dhaka due to security concernon July 1995, according to bdnews24.com.