The year was 1975 and the day was August 15. It is one of the darkest days in Bangladesh’s history.
The architect of Bangladesh’s freedom was assassinated that day by a group of disgruntled army officers at his Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka.
And, on Friday, the nation will observe the 39th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with humility and respect.
As always, August 15 will also be observed at the state level as the National Mourning Day in memory of the victims of the 1975 military coup that killed most members of Bangabandhu’s family.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the independence war, was then President of the infant republic.
The government and the ruling Awami League will mark the National Mourning Day with a slew of programmes.
Several other political parties will also be observing the day.
The day – a public holiday – will begin with flying the national at flag half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous organisations, educational institutions, private establishments and Bangladesh missions abroad.
Programmes to mark the day will start by paying tributes at Sheikh Mujib’s mural in front of Bangabandhu Bhaban at 32, Dhanmondi early in the morning on Friday.
The Awami League will also fly the national flag at half-mast and hoist black flag at every party office across the country at sunrise.
A handful of renegade army officials on Aug 15, 1975 killed the Father of the Nation along with his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, younger brother Sheikh Abu Naser, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniyabat, Moni’s wife Begum Arju Moni and Serniabat’s daughter ‘Baby’, son ‘Arif’ and grandson Sukanto Babu.
Sheikh Mujib’s security chief Col Jamiluddin Ahmed, police’s Special Branch Sub-Inspector Siddiqur Rahman, three guests and four domestic helpers were the others to fall.
Bangabandhu’s daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana escaped the massacre as they were in Europe at that time.
President Md Abdul Hamid, in a message on the eve of the National Mourning Day, urged all to turn grief into strength and devote themselves into building a prosperous Bangladesh.
Describing the day as heartrending and a disgraceful chapter in the nation’s history, he said, “The name of the Father of the Nation will remain shining in the hearts of millions of Bengalis as long as they are alive.”
The president also said highest possible initiatives were on to bring the convicted killers of Bangabandhu back and execute the verdicts.
In another message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina prayed for the departed souls of her father and family members and the others who were murdered that day.
She said, “The people snatched the glowing sun of the independence by breaking the shackles of subjugation of thousands of years, under the dynamic, courageous and charismatic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. And the Bengali nation got their own independent state, flag and national anthem.”
“The killers were able to kill Bangabandhu but not his dreams and ideals. Bangabandhu’s ideals of long struggle and sacrifice are embedded in the heart of the Bengali nation.”
Programmes
The president and the prime minister will be the first ones to lay wreathes on Sheikh Mujib’s mural at Bangabandhu Bhaban around 6:45am Friday.
A squad of the armed forces will give a Guard of Honour there.
The Awami League and its affiliate organisations will lead tributes after that.
The prime minister and ruling party leaders will pay respects to the other victims around 7:30am at the Banani Graveyard, where special prayers will also be held later.
Awami League leaders, led by party President Sheikh Hasina, will pay tributes at Bangabandhu’s grave at Tungipara in Gopalganj around 10am.
Special prayers have been organised at mosques after the Jumah prayers, temples, pagoda, churches and other places of worship across the country.
Discussions will also be held at several places on the significance of the day.
The Mahila Awami League will organise a special prayer at Bangabandhu Bhaban after Asr prayers.
The Awami League will also organise a discussion to mark the day on Saturday afternoon at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and other private television stations will broadcast special programmes on the day. The national dailies will publish special supplements.
Bangladesh Film Archive has organised a two-day documentary show at Shilpakala Academy.
The day
August 15 is being observed differently in different political situations since 1975.
The day was not observed officially for 20 years until 1996, when the Awami League assumed office and announced the day as the National Mourning Day.
Aug 15 was observed as the mourning day in five subsequent years.
The BNP-Jamaat-e-slami coalition government dropped the mourning day and prohibited flying the national flag at half-mast on days other than official ones after forming government in 2001.
The day was observed in 2002 through party programmes of the Awami League.
The day again got the National Mourning Day status in a verdict of the High Court in 2008 during the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government. It is being observed officially since then.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh’s freedom, and most of his family were assassinated on Aug 15, 1975 by a group of disgruntled army officers at his Dhanmondi residence.
He was then president of the new republic.
Bangladesh’s first military ruler Gen Ziaur Rahman later promulgated the Indemnity Ordinance to save the self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu.
The others killed on that fateful night 38 years ago included Bangabandhu’s wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, younger brother Sheikh Abu Naser, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniyabat, Moni’s wife Begum Arju Moni and Serniabat’s daughter ‘Baby’, son ‘Arif’ and grandson Sukanto Babu.
Mujib’s security chief Col Jamiluddin Ahmed, police’s Special Branch Sub-Inspector Siddiqur Rahman, three guests and four domestic helps were the others to fall.
Bangabandhu’s residential personal assistant Mohitul Islam on Oct 2, 1996 filed a case over the assassination after the Awami League was voted to power.
The Indemnity Ordinance was abrogated on Nov 12 the same year.
Police pressed charges against 19 on Jan 15, 1997 and Dhaka District and Sessions Judge Kazi Golam Rasul condemned 15 of them to death on Nov 8, 1998.
The High Court bench of Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin and Justice ABM Khairul Haque gave a split verdict in the appeal against the punishment.
Senior Justice Amin acquitted five of original 15 accused, but Justice Haque upheld the lower court verdict.
Later, as a third judge, Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim handed down capital punishment to 12 accused.
As five death-row convicts again moved the Appellate Division, decision remained pending due to a shortage of minimum requirement of three judges for a hearing session since August 2001, as several judges embarrassed to hear the case.
A five-member special bench of the Appellate Division gave its verdict on Nov 19, 2009 rejecting the appeal.
Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shariar Rashid Khan, Bazul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin (Lancer) were executed on Jan 27, 2010.
Of the seven other death-row convicts, M Rashed Chowdhury is living in the US and SHMB Noor Chowdhury in Canada.
Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Moslem Uddin and Abdul Mazed are moving from one country to another. Abdul Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe while on the run.
Bangabandhu was born on Mar 17, 1920 at Tungiparha in Gopalganj.
He came to limelight with the formation of Purba Pakistan Chhatra League following the end of British rule in the Indian sub-continent.
Mujib continued to rise in national politics because of his active involvement in the Language Movement in 1952, 1954 general elections, and six-point declaration in1966.
His arrest in the Agarata conspiracy case catapulted him into national limelight, making him the undisputed leader of the Bengalis’ freedom struggle against Pakistani exploitation.
He was given ‘Bangabandhu’ title after he was freed from jail in 1969.
On Mar 7, 1971 he delivered the historical speech at Race Course Maidan (Now Suhrawardy Udyan), which inspired the Bengalis to wage an armed struggle to win independence fom Pakistan.
Source: Bd news24