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Khandaker Abdur Rashid

National Hero Khandaker Abdur Rashid
Born (1946-07-21) 21 July 1946 (age 79)
Comilla, Bengal Province, British India
Allegiance Pakistan (before 1971)
 Bangladesh
Branch
Years of service1967–1976
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
UnitRegiment of Artillery
Commands
  • Deputy Commander of Z Force
  • Commander of 2nd Field Artillery Battery
  • CO of 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
Known forInvolvement in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Battles / wars
RelationsSayed Farooq-ur-Rahman (brother-in-law)
Abul Kashem Khan (uncle-in-law)
Khans of Chittagong (in-laws)

Khandaker Abdur Rashid is a Bangladeshi fugitive and former officer of the Bangladesh Army, who was a key organizer of the 15 August 1975 coup d'état.[1][2]

Early life

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Khandaker Abdur Rashid was born on 21 July 1946 in Comilla of then Bengal Province, British India.

Military career

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He served in the Pakistan Army and defected during the start of Bangladesh Liberation war. He was a freedom fighter and fought under Z force.

Assassination of Sheikh Mujib

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Rashid was a major at the time of the 15 August 1975 coup and the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He was part of the team that raided the armory of the 2nd Field Artillery on 11:30 pm August 15 to use the weapons in the coup. He was maintaining contact with Moshtaque throughout the time. The conspirators held several meetings at his residence in Dhaka Cantonment.[3] He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after the assassination.

Despite having a similarity in family name, the only relation between Abdur Rashid and Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed was their common birth district. Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed became the President of Bangladesh after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib.[4]

Political career

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He returned to Dhaka during the regime of Hussain Mohammad Ershad. He formed the Bangladesh Freedom Party with Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman. He was elected to parliament in the 15 February 1996 general election from Comilla-6, which was discredited.[5] Farooq was his brother in law.[6] He was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia for the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He lives in the United States as of 2000.[7] In 2016, the government of Bangladesh passed a law that allowed for the seizure of the properties of those convicted in the killing of Sheikh Mujib. Abdur Rashid's shares in Kushtia based Jubilee Bank were ordered to be seized by Bangladesh Bank.[8]

Family Life

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Khandakar Abdur-Rashid is married to Zubaida Khan, a daughter of S. H. Khan, the younger brother of Abul Kashem Khan, a leading industrialist and minister belonging to the politically prominent Khan family of Chittagong.[9][10] His daughter Mehnaz Rashid is a leader of the Freedom Party and was arrested in 2009 by Bangladesh police.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Extradition effort continues for six killers". Dhaka Tribune. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Bangabandhu killing: Anisul for commission to find conspirators". The Daily Star. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Shame darker than the night". The Daily Star. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  4. ^ "The conspiracy behind the assassination of Bangabandhu". The Daily Star. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Where are they?". The Daily Star. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Scream of the assassin". Telegraph. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Four could not even be traced". The Daily Star. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  8. ^ "BB asked to confiscate bank shares of Bangabandhu killers". Dhaka Tribune. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Bangladesh A Legacy of Blood | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  10. ^ Nahid, Farzana (1 January 2020), Kumar, Payal; Budhwar, Pawan (eds.), "Dynamics of Paternalistic Mentoring: An Insight into Family Firms in Bangladesh", Mentorship-driven Talent Management, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 169–194, doi:10.1108/978-1-78973-691-520201010/full/html, ISBN 978-1-78973-691-5, retrieved 29 May 2025
  11. ^ "Col Rashid's daughter held for blast link". The Daily Star. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2016.