Bangladesh has made a high-profile arrest in Dhaka’s Mirpur cantonment area yesterday. Capt (dismissed) Abdul Majed, convicted for killing Father of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was arrested by Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC). 1/10
He is one of 12 killers who connived in killing Mujib and family members in a coup in 1975. After retiring from the Bangladesh Army, he was posted at diplomatic mission in Senegal and also served the Bangladesh government until 1996. 2/10
In 1996, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League romped back to power after a gap of 21 years. Immediately, Abdul Majed went into hiding as Awami League government started trial for Mujib’s murder. Majed is now a death-row convict & was produced in court immediately after his arrest. 3/10
Public Prosecutor told reporters thereafter that Majed confessed in the court during the hearing that he was in Kolkata for the past 22-23 years. Majed also confessed that he returned to Bangladesh from India on March 15 or 16. 4/10
His arrest in the midst of Mujib Year celebrations in Bangladesh assumes special significance. This is a definite feather in the cap for Sheikh Hasina as she wants to strengthen her ‘strong-in-dealing-with-terror’ image. 5/10
But more important questions will arise in the next few days. Why was he hiding in Kolkata until now, according to his own words? Was the Left in Kolkata in connivance with Begum Khaleda Zia’s government and Jamaat of Bangladesh to keep him in hiding? 6/10
This is important because of the 5 remaining absconders, Bangla government knows the whereabouts of 2 (1 hiding in the US, another in Canada). So, what was Majed doing in Kolkata? Did he have state protection (by state, I mean West Bengal and not India). 7/10
Another question is, if India really handed him over to Bangladesh, why did they not hand him over at the border? Why was he placed back in Mirpur to be picked up by their CTTC task force? 8/10
Does the Indian establishment think that it will be embarrassing for them to openly acknowledge that they handed him over? Will they find it uncomfortable to answer questions on how he was hiding here without the intelligence officers being aware? 9/10
In any case, this is one small happy ending for now. Sheikh Hasina can tom-tom about this achievement. And Modi can smile in the background knowing well that he helped didi (Dhaka-wali didi)! 10/10
