Ershad Sikder
Born1954
Madargona village, Nalchity Upazila, Bangladesh (Then East Pakistan)
Died(2004-05-10)10 May 2004
Khulna District Jail, Bangladesh
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Other names"Ranga Chora"
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Murder
Robbery
Extortion
Theft
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims60+
Span of crimes
1991–1999
CountryBangladesh
Date apprehended
1999

Ershad Sikder (Bengali: এরশাদ শিকদার; 1955 – 10 May 2004) was a Bangladeshi politician, criminal, and serial killer, known for committing various crimes such as murder, torture, theft, robbery and others.[1][2] He was sentenced to death for murder, and subsequently executed on 10 May 2004.[3]

A song by Abdus Sattar Mohonto, titled “Ami to more jabo” meaning "I will be dead" in Bengali, has been popularized throughout the country as Sikder's song.[4]

Biography

Early life

Sikder was born in the Madargona village of Nalchity Upazila, Jhalokati District. His father was Bande Ali. Between 1966 and 1967, Sikder moved from his birthplace to the Khulna District.[5] After arriving in Khulna, Ershad worked as a railway worker for some time. From there, he began gradually robbing along the railway lines and joined a gang. Later, he formed his own gang and earned the name Ranga Chora from the locals.

Between 1976 and 1977, he formed another gang named Ramada Bahini, which was involved in theft, robberies and terrorist activities along the Khulna Railway Station and the Ghat area. Together with his gang, Ershad occupied the 4th and 5th areas of Ghat, making it his exclusive regulator.

Entry into politics

In 1982, after the rise of former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Sikder entered politics through the Jatiya Party.[6] In the 1988 election during the military rule, Sikder was elected as the Commissioner of Ward 8. After forming the BNP government in 1991, Sikder joined it. On 26 December 1996, he again changed his party to the Awami League, but soon after being criticized, he was expelled. At the time of his 1999 arrest, he was still the Commissioner of Ward 8.

Criminal acts and murders

After entering politics, Sikder's power grew. From 1984 to 1986, he was involved in the possession of Khulna properties, occupying private property, the drug trade, extortion and other criminal activities. In 1991, he drove out the owner of an ice factory named Rafiq, from the 4th Ghat area, appropriated the ice factory and forced all traders to buy ice from him.

It is also known that he used the ice factory as his torture centre. Ershad was accused of more than 60 murders, together with one of his collaborators, Rajasakshi Nure Alam. The latter later gave a statement in court describing 24 killings, further claiming that Sikder had more than 70 victims, although only one weapon was recovered from his house, known as the "Swarnakamal".

Personal life

It is known that Sikder was married six times. His first wife was Khodeja Begum, whom he married in 1973. Another wife, named Sanjida Akter Shobha, received a luxurious gold house. Aside from them, there were Taslima of Rupsha Rajapur village, Farida of Bagerhat, Rampal Upazila; another unknown wife and Durgargaire of Paikgacha. Nure Alam also alleged that his wife Hira was tortured by Ershad.

Ershad's first wife Khodeja gave birth to four children: three sons and a daughter. After his arrest, a fifth child was born, a girl named Jannatul Nawrin Esha to his second wife, Sanjida Nahar Shova.[7] Esha committed suicide on 4 March 2022 in Subasto Tower, Gulshan, Dhaka.[8][9]

Arrest and death

Sikder was arrested in 1999, with 43 cases filed under his name.[10] During a trial at the lower court, he was sentenced to death in seven murder cases, along with additional four life sentences. He tried to appeal the decision by writing a petition to President Iajuddin Ahmed, but he rejected the appeal, and Sikder was executed at the Khulna Central jail on 10 May 2004.[3][11][12] He was imprisoned in Khulna District Jail.[13] Fazlur Rahman, Police inspector of Jhikargachha Police Station, bought his house in Khulna. This prompted an investigation by the ministry of Home Affairs in April 2004.[14]

In 2005, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina identified the arrest of Sikder as evidence of the judiciary functioning to Asma Jahangir and criticised the government of Bangladesh for using Rapid Action Battalion to kill criminals extrajudicially.[15]

  • In 2004 a Bangladeshi biographical thriller film, Khuni Shikder, was directed by Monowar Hossain Khokon.[16]
  • Kal Bhairaber Ghat, a book by Indian author Binod Ghoshal, based on the life of Ershad Sikder was published in 2020.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "373 persons hanged so far in Bangladesh". China's Human Rights. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Letter from America: Thoughts on Bangladesh – 6". Asian Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Ershad Shikdar to be hanged on May 10". The Daily Star. 21 April 2004.
  4. ↑ "Orchestra presents Sritimoy". New Age. 20 June 2005. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  5. ↑ এরশাদ শিকদার [Ershad Sikder]. Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). 15 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "Bangladesh serial killer hanged". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Notorious Ershad Sikder's daughter found dead in Gulshan flat - National - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  8. ↑ "Ershad Sikder's daughter found dead in Gulshan". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  9. ↑ Staff Correspondent. "Body of Ershad Sikder's daughter found hanged in Dhaka". Prothomalo. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  10. ↑ "State Vs. Ershad Ali Sikder and others, 2004, 33 CLC (AD)". Chancery Law Chronicles. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "President rejects Ershad Sikder's mercy petition". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  12. ↑ "Bangladesh killer hanged". News24. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "Khulna jail raises 'false' alarm". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  14. ↑ "Cop's purchase of Sikder's house under govt lens". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  15. ↑ "Hasina, Asma discuss HR situation". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  16. ↑ "সত্য ঘটনা অবলম্বনে নির্মিত ১০টি বাংলাদেশি সিনেমা • sylhetmail24.com". 2019-09-04. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  17. ↑ "কাল ভৈরবের ঘাট: বাস্তব খুনীর কাল্পনিক অটোবায়োগ্রাফি". roar.media (in Bengali). 9 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
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