On November 7, 1975, weeks after the tragic assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members, Bangladesh was shaken by the tragic deaths of three esteemed Liberation War heroes and high-ranking Bangladesh Army officers: Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, Colonel Nazmul Huda, and Colonel Haidar. The circumstances surrounding their demise remain shrouded in mystery, with no definitive account of the events that unfolded during their final hours. Speculations have persisted over the years, debating whether their killings were orchestrated by fellow officers or if they fell victim to a faction of so-called left-leaning soldiers aiming to establish a ‘classless army’ through a staged ‘revolution’ on that fateful day.
In the wake of the turmoil that followed the August 15, 1975 massacre, which had plunged Bangladesh into a state of political instability, a military coup was initiated on November 3 of the same year, seemingly intended to bring the culprits to justice. Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, who served as the crucial Chief of General Staff at the time, led the coup with the support of fellow army members, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful in securing his position at the helm of affairs. This power vacuum endured for three and a half days until another, more violent coup, took place on November 7.
This so-called “sepoy mutiny”, led by the left-leaning former military colonel Abu Taher, quickly spiraled out of control, leading to chaos within the military barracks. Amidst the bloody turmoil, not only did Khaled Mosharraf and his two senior comrades meet their tragic ends, but 12 other military officers and the wife of a senior officer also lost their lives, despite having no apparent connections to the events of November 3. Subsequently, Major General Ziaur Rahman emerged as a prominent figure in Bangladesh, displacing Taher and eventually leading to the latter’s execution.
While Khaled Mosharraf and his allies initially detained the army chief, Ziaur Rahman, for his perceived inaction in bringing the August 15 culprits to justice, they failed to consolidate their authority effectively, allowing the assassins to secretly execute four close associates of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman within Dhaka Central Jail. Despite their escape from the country, Khaled and his companions remained unaware of the massacre within the high-security prison.
During the tumultuous events of November 7, Khaled found himself at the Bangabhaban – the presidential palace with several officers. As Taher’s soldiers initiated their actions, indicating the disruption of the November 3 coup, Khaled and his comrades were compelled to leave Bangabhaban and seek refuge at the parliament complex, where the 10 Bengal Regiment had set up temporary quarters.
The accounts of Muktadir Ali, a retired army major who was present during the final moments of the three officers, shed light on the harrowing events that unfolded. As Khaled, Huda, and Haidar made their way to the 10 Bengal headquarters, the situation intensified, with rumors of soldiers being killed at various military units adding to the volatility. Despite attempts by some officers to prevent their arrival, the three officers reached the unit, evading the eyes of a pair of rowdy officers and their bloodthirsty soldiers.
Tragically, their sanctuary was short-lived, as the soldiers, overcome with rage, launched a violent assault, resulting in the brutal slaying of Khaled and Huda, while Colonel Haidar met his untimely demise as he attempted to defend himself. The exact motivations behind this grisly act remain elusive, leaving behind a cloud of unresolved mystery and speculation.
While some accounts suggest possible motivations for the aggression exhibited by the soldiers, such as prior conflicts and the volatile political climate, the precise catalysts for their extreme actions towards their superior officers remain uncertain.
Remembering the tragic murder of her beloved father, Mahjabeen Khaled, daughter of Khaleda Mosharraf and a former Member of Parliament, Chairman of the Khaled Musharrof Trust, and Secretary General of the Caucus on Migration & Development, told a local media outlet, “In 1975, I was in the third grade, eight years old. My father (Khaled Mosharraf) was heavily occupied with various tasks, including the formation of the paramilitary force following the Liberation War. My father hailed from Islampur under Jamalpur district. People would come from Islampur, and they would spend time with us in the afternoons. But the army personnel were also present; they would come as well. So, I had very little time with my father. On Sundays, we would meet him. We used to spend quality time together as a family on those days. He was very preoccupied. On one occasion, he said, ‘It’s not safe in the cantonment. Actually, it wasn’t safe in the cantonment’.
“My father sent my three sisters (Mahjabin, Ammerin, and Tahreen Khaled) and my mother to our grandmother’s house on a certain date in November 1975. He might have been thinking that something would happen. ‘It’s not safe in the cantonment. From the first to the sixth of November, we don’t know much. My father was at Bangabhaban at the time. Communication was not possible from there. On the fifth, he called my mother and said, ‘Come tomorrow with the children. We will spend the whole day together.’ On the sixth, we went to meet him, and we spent the whole day with him. He was very busy. Army officers were coming and going. Many journalists were there. They were having meetings. But I don’t know what those meetings were about. However, something was going on. My mother didn’t tell me everything. But I understood that something was about to happen. On the sixth, we spent the evening together at the military residence. After that, I don’t know anything. Suddenly, I heard that my father and two other freedom fighters were killed. Their bodies were at CMH. Until the eighth, no one wanted to take the bodies. No one dared to enter the cantonment.
“Later, my mother’s uncle, an elderly man, agreed to go to CMH to bring the bodies. My father was buried in the Navy Graveyard. Two days after his death.
“I still remember my father’s face. It seemed so clear and holy. It felt like light was emanating from his face. I couldn’t understand why he was killed or shot. His face was very fresh. I was very young. I couldn’t even understand what death was. Why he couldn’t walk in that condition, I couldn’t understand that either. But I saw everyone crying around me. I was completely confused. My two younger sisters were even younger. One was around six, and the other was even younger. They couldn’t understand anything. They still don’t understand”.
