The AL lawmakers, attending the session that sat after 12-day recess demanded immediate withdrawal of the "false and baseless" press note issued by the government on the killing for fair investigation and formation of a judicial probe committee.

AL lawmakers, who attended the House wearing black badges to protest the assassination, talking to The Daily Star after the sitting said they would not attend the session from today. They said they would take a decision after Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina returns home after her truncated US tour.

The government categorically rejected the demands, describing the press note as a primary reaction of the government and said judicial inquiry committees were formed when police were involved in crime.

Both ruling and opposition members in the three-hour discussion demanded exemplary punishment to the killers after finding them out through a neutral and objective investigation, free from all political biases.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia assured the House that after fair inquiry into the mayhem, the accused would be produced before the Speedy Trial Tribunal for quick disposal of the case.

Opposition lawmakers questioned the government's intention, saying it "misled the inquiry by issuing the press note that shifted the blame onto the internal feud of the opposition".

They bitterly criticised the government for failing to stem law and order free fall and creating such a situation where criminals called the shots and lawmakers had no security.

Some opposition lawmakers asked the government to take all the responsibilities for the law and order breakdown and resign immediately.

In the gloom that settled in the House, lawmakers from all parties, except for the Jamaat-e-Islami, mourned the assassination of Ahsanullah, a renowned freedom fighter and a labour leader.

Setting aside all political differences, they expressed profound shock at the killing of Ahsanullah at a roadside rally in Tongi on May 7 and termed him 'a symbol of truth, honesty and dedication to the cause of the common man'.

However, some senior leaders from both opposition and treasury benches engaged in political debate, accusing each other of sweeping comments after the killing. The opposition criticised the government and Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar for not attending the funeral rituals of the slain lawmaker.

The speaker, prime minister and treasury bench members defended their stand, saying that they were deprived of a chance to pay their last respect to the lawmaker as his body was not taken to the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban as per the convention.

They also alleged the opposition of creating such a chaotic situation that barred them from attending his namaz-e-janaza at Paltan Maidan, Gazipur or at Tongi.

The opposition deputies accused the government of displaced probe and action in the wake of the killing.

Instead of arresting the accused named in the first information report five days into the killing, the government carried out mass arrests of AL leaders, workers and the common man, they alleged.

They demanded immediate release of the innocent people who reacted sharply to the killing.

As the colleagues of Ahsanullah recalled in turn their long association with him since the country's liberation war, others listened to his life and activities in solemn silence.

Taking his seat at 5:10pm, the speaker moved the obituary reference, reading, "The nation lost an eminent politician, a freedom fighter and a social worker (at his death). This parliament expresses deep shock and sorrow at his death and sympathises with the members of the bereaved family."

AL lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim opened the discussion that also saw the participation 18 other members before the concluding speech of Khaleda, the leader of the House.

Sircar adjourned the session until 5:00pm today, postponing the scheduled business of the day.

BNP lawmaker Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad conducted the munajat for the slain lawmaker.

Earlier, Krishak Shramik Janata League lawmaker Kader Siddiqui requested the chair not to allow any Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker to conduct the munajat as Ahsanullah was a prominent freedom fighter.

On AL's demand for withdrawal of the press note, LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said the home ministry issued the press note on primary information citing an intra-party feud as one of the possible reasons for the killing.

"It was the immediate reaction of the government. Why are they so concerned about the press note? It did not specify the internal conflict as the only reason of the murder," said Bhuiyan, also BNP secretary general.

He slated the top leaders of the main opposition for blaming the killing on government high-ups within hours of the incident. "Your leader (Sheikh Hasina) from abroad and General Secretary Abdul Jalil said the lawmaker was murdered on instructions of BNP high-ups."

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Abdul Hamid said people were sceptical about the fairness of the trial, as the government did not withdraw the press note that has already cited the reason.

Senior AL lawmaker Abdus Samad Azad demanded a judicial probe into the killing and general discussion in the House on law and order.

Rejecting the demand for a judicial inquiry, Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said, "Generally, we open judicial probes when police are involved in crime.

Jatiya Party (Ershad) lawmaker Raushan Ershad described the killing of Ahsanullah as an instance of deepest sorrow and demanded the government ensure fair trial of the killers.

Jatiya Party (Manju) lawmaker Anwar Hossain Manju expressed doubt about fairness of the investigation.

Kader Siddiqui asked the government to step down immediately as he said it failed to control law and order downslide. "You should quit office just after adoption of the obituary reference on the lawmaker."