The TBH desk
Canadian national television CBC has aired an investigative report on SHMB Noor Chowdhury, the self-confessed and convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In the video report, the fugitive convicted Noor Chowdhury, has been caught on video in Toronto for the first time.
The 42-minute report, titled “Why the killer of Bangladesh’s first president is free in Canada”, was aired at 8am on Saturday on CBC Television’s popular investigative segment “The Fifth State”.
The episode explored the circumstances of the Noor Chowdhury case and included interviews with numerous prominent figures including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada Dr Khalilur Rahman, and other individuals involved in the case.
Noor Chowdhury was said to be living in a condo in Etobicoke and was filmed tending to plants on his balcony but fled when confronted by the journalist outside his residence.
The Canadian government including Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) refused to comment on the case.
The report highlights Noor Chowdhury’s escape to Canada, his stay there for 27 years and his extradition process to serve his sentence for murder.
The high commissioner of Bangladesh appointed in Canada said with a strong statement that, except for this one issue, Bangladesh’s relations with Canada are friendly.
“Not only as a Bangladeshi high commissioner, but as a common man of Bangladesh, I want him to be sent back to Bangladesh.”
Noor Chowdhury’s whereabouts and what he is doing are known, but no information has come forward.
The report showed a glimpse of Noor Chowdhury on the balcony of his Toronto flat. While going out with the car, the reporter caught Noor Chowdhury, who was hiding, sitting in the driving seat.
When the reporter approached to ask more about his roles in the assassination, he avoided the reporter.
Without saying anything, he drove fast and went away.
On August 15, 1975, the then president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were gunned down by a group of rogue army personnel. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived since they were overseas at that time.
Following a trial which was opened after a long hiatus, five persons convicted of being involved in the killing were hanged in 2010; one person died in Zimbabwe and six are absconding.
These six fugitives are: Abdur Rashid, Shariful Huq Dalim, M Rashed Chowdhury, SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Abdul Majed and Risaldar Moslemuddin. Interpol red notice was issued against them.
Of them, Noor Chowdhury is in Canada and M Rashed Chowdhury in the US, confirmed the National Central Bureau, NCB.
After the coup in 1975, Noor was posted to the Bangladeshi embassy in Tehran as the second secretary. In 1996 when a Bangladesh Awami League government was voted to power, Noor was recalled to Bangladesh. He refused to comply with the government order and lost his job as a result.