Bangabandhu's killer shown on video in Canadian investigative report

The assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is one of the enduring scars of Bangladeshis that remains fresh even after 48 years.  In the years that followed, many of those who had slain the Father of the Nation have been brought to justice.

It has also been an indelible stain on the otherwise friendly relationship between Bangladesh and Canada, which is currently home to SHMB Noor Chowdhury, the "self-confessed and convicted killer" of the then president of Bangladesh.

Despite knowing that he has been living in legal limbo in Canada for years, it's only recently that he was caught on video when the CBC, Canada's national television service, created and then aired an investigative report on the accused assassin.

Titled "Why the killer of Bangladesh's first president is free in Canada", the 42 minute documentary was aired on Saturday on CBC Television's popular investigative segment "The Fifth State" and is available on YouTube.

The report shows a video of Noor Chowdhury tending plants on a balcony of his condo in Etobicoke, as well as rushing away in his car outside his residence when a journalist approached him for comments.

It also includes interviews with prominent Bangladeshi figures, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Law Minister Anisul Huq, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada Dr Khalilur Rahman, as well as retired police investigator Abdul Kahar Akon, who took part in the criminal investigations of the coup.

The report outlines how after Bangabandhu's killing, the following government of Bangladesh provided many of the killers with high level official and diplomatic posts. Noor himself was the second secretary in the Bangladeshi embassy in Tehran, but fled in 1996 to Canada after an Awami League government was voted to power and he was recalled back to Bangladesh.

The Canadian government, including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refused to comment on the case, and has stonewalled both official diplomatic efforts from Bangladesh as well as requests from journalists, according to the report.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke with Mark Kelly in an interview, where she declared that it was upon Canada to find a solution.

Canadian international criminal law expert Rob Currie agreed with that assessment in a separate interview with Mark, saying, "I think we're in an uncomfortable position having Mr. Chowdhury here in Canada. There are more legal mechanisms and tools and diplomatic level tools that can be brought to bear. The mystery to me is why they aren't being brought to bear."

When asked further about the long term implications for Canada, he continued saying, "It's not justice for Mr. Chowdhury. It's not justice for Bangladesh and it's not justice for the people of Canada  to have the case simply hanging in the way it is now. "

Stockwell Burt Day, a former minister, also said that Canada needs to negotiate and end to this saga, "Just because it's now, you know, the murders took place 50 years ago almost. doesn't matter. Uh, they should be moving aggressively on this to send that signal that Canada does not harbour people who commit these kinds of crimes."

When asked about Canada's stance about not deporting those who face death or torture in their home countries, he added, "We are taking the moral high ground  by saying he is accountable for what he has done and we should negotiate with Bangladesh to see how we can get him out of here and put him back in the hands of the people of Bangladesh."

On August 15, 1975, the then president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were killed in their home by a group of conspirators. All ten members of his extended family, including his ten-year-old son, were slain. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana only survived as they were overseas in Belgium at the time.

Of all the accused, six still remain at large with Interpol red notices filed against them. They are Abdur Rashid, Shariful Huq Dalim, M Rashed Chowdhury, SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Abdul Majed and Risaldar Moslemuddin.

The National Central Bureau(NCB) has confirmed that Noor Chowdhury is in Canada and M Rashed Chowdhury is in the US.