Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan | |
|---|---|
| Native name | সুলতান শাহরিয়ার রশিদ খান |
| Died | (2010-01-28)28 January 2010 Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan (Before 1971) Bangladesh |
| Branch |  Pakistan Army Bangladesh Army |
| Years of service | 1968-1975 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Regiment of Artillery |
| Commands |
|
| Known for | Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Alma mater | Pakistan Military Academy |
Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan (died 28 January 2010) was aBangladeshi army officer who was convicted for theassassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman .[1] On 28 January 2010, Rahman was hanged along withSyed Faruque Rahman,A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed,Mohiuddin Ahmed, andMohammad Bazlul Huda inOld Dhaka Central Jail.[2][3][4]
In 1973 Khan was the Chief Inspector of Army School of Physical Training inComilla. His friend and colleague, MajorShariful Haque Dalim and his wife, had gotten into a scuffle with the sons ofGazi Golam Mostafa, a politician of Bangladesh Awami League. Some officers ransacked the house of Gazi Golam which led to the officers including Dalim and MajorS.H.M.B Noor Chowdhury being dismissed from the army over indiscipline. Khan resigned from the army over this incident. Khan opened a used consumer electronics store named Shery Enterprise in Dhaka.[5]
After his resignation, he maintained contact with some his fellow army officers both retired and in service. The army officers expressed dissatisfaction over how Bangladesh was being governed, the lack of benefits for Freedom Fighters, and the role ofSheikh Mujibur Rahman. They held a number of meetings discussing ways to change the government. On 14 August 1975 Khan met Government MinisterKhandaker Moshtaque Ahmed, who was to replace Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On 15 August 1975, the army officers including Khan launched the coup. They divided into teams, one went to the residence of Sheikh Mujib, the one Khan was in went to theBangladesh Betar (radio) office in Dhaka and took control of the broadcast system to control the flow of information.[5]
On 3 November 1975 he helped kill 4 national leaders of Bangladesh in jail, including former Prime MinisterTajuddin Ahmed.[6][7] After the assassinations, he was appointed under the new chief of Defense staffKhalilur Rahman.[8]
In 2004 Khan was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the jail killing case.[9] On 19 November 2009, theSupreme Court of Bangladesh confirmed the death sentence handed out to 12 individuals for their role in the coup and assassination.[10]
Khan was hanged with 4 of his co-conspirators on 27 January 2010 atOld Dhaka Central Jail.[10] His daughter Shehnaz Rashid Khan and her brother in law, along with two others were arrested with the contrabandYa ba on 7 August 2011.[11]