Abul Manzoor Major General Muhammad Abul Manzoor ( 1940 – 1981 ) was a Bangladesh army general who was a war hero as a freedom fighter and Sector Commander of BDF Sector 8 during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 . He launched a " coup d ' etat " and assassination of President Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981 at Chittagong . He was killed shortly after while being captured . About a year later , the military took over the government in a bloodless coup , holding power until 1990 . Manzoor had been awarded valor under fire Bir Uttam by the Bangladeshi Government for his bravery in the liberation war . Manzoor was appointed as the youngest divisional commander of Bangladesh Army , GOC ( General Officer Commanding ) of 24th Infantry Division headquartered at Chittagong . His surviving wife and four children were given political asylum in the United States . Early life . MA Manzoor was born at village Gopinathpur under Kasba thana of Comilla district in 1940 . His paternal home is at village Kamalpur in Chatkhil thana of Noakhali district . His family moved to East Pakistan after Partition . He passed senior Cambridge in 1955 and ISC examination in 1956 from the Sargoda Public School in Punjab . He joined the East Bengal Regiment as a commissioned officer of then East Pakistan . In 1958 , he attended Staff College in Canada , where he obtained his PSC . After the Liberation War started , Major Manzoor was a Brigade Major of a Para Commando Brigade close to the Indian border . He fled Pakistan on a daring escape with his family and a few fellow officers across the border to India . From there , they made their way to Bangladesh , and Manzoor joined up with fellow officers from East Bengal . He quickly became a prominent officer within the ranks and won many battles in his sector . He commanded Sector – VIII during the Liberation War from September 1971 to victory on December 1971 . In 1974 - 76 , he was posted in New Delhi as Military Attache in the Bangladesh Embassy to India . Known for his tenacity , keen eye for strategy , and formation of loyalty from colleagues , in 1975 he was promoted to Colonel . Upon his return to Dhaka in 1977 , he was promoted to Brigadier . In 1980 , he was promoted to Major General at the age of 41 . He was one of the youngest generals of a front - line force in south - east Asia ' s history . Role in assassination of Ziaur Rahman . General Hussain Muhammad Ershad , Chief of Army Staff , transferred General Manzoor to a non - combatant post in Dhaka as Commandant of the Defenece Services Command and Staff College . Manzoor was the General Officer Commanding ( GOC ) of Chittagong , and freedom fighters placed under his command were given the highest posts . Once the transfer order was sent to Manzoor , he launched a coup on the morning of 30 May , and ordered the killing of President Ziaur Rahman at Chittagong Circuit House . That Sunday , 30 May , Manjoor broadcast on Bangladesh Radio from Chittagong station , saying , " Let us have a united stand to run the country and make it a real nation of the people . " In the face of an ultimatum for surrender by the government , most of Manzoor ' s troops had abandoned their posts or had joined the government , which ended the rebellion . Later , government soldiers retook the radio station , and Bangladesh Radio announced a US $ 30 , 000 reward for capture - dead or alive - of Manzoor . Capture and death . Although the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman was carried out in Chittagong on 30 May 1981 , the military " coup d ' état " failed . General Manzoor went on radio to speak to the nation . According to the historian Anthony Mascarenhas in his " Bangladesh : A Legacy of Blood , " Manzoor effectively isolated Chittagong from the rest of the country . Chief of Army Staff , Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad , quickly ordered to suppress any such action and issued orders to kill or capture Manzoor . Manzoor , with some of his supporters , were captured by the Army about 40 miles southeast of Chittagong while they were driving towards Indian border . Manzoor was reported to have been killed on spot by angry soldiers on 2 June 1981 . In less than a year , General Hussain Muhammad Ershad took over the country in a bloodless coup . Trial . No trial took place for Manzoor ' s assassination .