In a recent interview to a Bangla daily at her Lal Mohon Shah Street house Nilufar expressed her resentment, saying, "The president and the prime minister have granted mercy to Jhintu as he is a BNP leader, but Firoz too was a BNP leader--what have they done for him? Where is my consolation?" the Daily Prothom Alo reported.

Working at an orphanage Nilufar had earned the living for herself and her two children--Shoma and Sumon--for the last 20 years. "I have no gains in my life, only losses," she said.

Nilufar, who retried from the orphanage two years back due to ill health, said she got married at the age of 13 and lost her husband after five years.

On January 25, 1982 Firoz and another trader Abdul Khaleq Rana were killed in Demra. Sweden expatriate BNP leader Jhintu was one of the prime accused in the double murder.

Nilufar, helpless with two infants, filed a case and moved from door to door demanding trial of her husband's killers. But, the mastermind Jhintu was not named in the first chargesheet.

However, it brought her a little consolation when finally the Marshal Law Court awarded capital punishment to Jhintu, "Gaalkata" Kamal, Shaheed Hossain and Abul Kashem Manik--all involved in BNP politics at that time. But, after 23 years, the shock gripped her again when the president granted clemency to Jhintu on January 13.

Former autocrat ruler HM Ershad granted clemency to Abul Kashem Manik on December 6, 1987. Manik later joined the Jatiya Party. Since then, Jhintu and Shaheed had been absconding.

The hardship of Firoz's family living in a house rented at Tk 2000 a month is still going on. A potential artist and a BCom student of Suhrawardi College, Sumon now bears the expenses of the family with earning from private tuition.

Firoz's daughter Shoma, an honours student of history department at Jagannath University, got married a year back.

Nilufar said Firoz had been missing for two days before his body was recovered. He went out to buy some medicine as he was suffering from fever and that was the last time she saw him.

As Nilufar was searching for her husband, an employee of a local hotel told her that he saw Firoz talking with Jhintu and Manik at a hotel near the Abhishar cinema hall.

A police officer, who also lived in the Bangram building in Old Dhaka where Firoz's family lived at that time, informed Nilufar about the recovery of Firoz's body. Later, she identified the body at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue. She also saw the body of Rana at the morgue.

She said the hotel employee later told her that he saw "Gaalkata" Kamal, Jhintu and Manik discussing the murder sitting in the hotel.

Nilufar said she filed a case with Demra Police Station accusing Jhintu, Kamal, Manik and some others. However, Jhintu's name was dropped from the chargesheet.

The trial was held at the then Marshal Law Court-1. Nilufar said she went to the court for 15-20 times during the seven-month hearing of the case. After further investigation, a supplementary chargesheet included Jhintu's name.

In the verdict the court handed down on July 20, 1982, Kamal, his two associates Manik and Shaheed, and Jhintu were awarded capital punishment. Kamal, arrested at that time, was hanged.

She said before Kamal's execution, he told her that he was hired by Jhintu and Manik to kill Firoz following conflict over formation of local BNP committee.