The nation observes the National Mourning Day today, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
At the fateful dawn of August 15 in 1975, a group of disgruntled army officers assassinated country’s undaunted leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members and toppled his three and half-year-old government.
The Bangalee nation witnessed the history’s most heinous incident on this day at a time when Bangabandhu devoted himself to implementing his dream to build the country as Sonar Bangla.
Bangabandhu’s wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother Sheikh Naser, peasants leader Abdur Rab Serniabat, youths leader Sheikh Fazlul Haq Moni and his wife Arzu Moni, Baby Serniabat, Sukanta Babu, Arif and Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu were also killed along with Bangabandhu.
Bangabandhu’s two daughters – Sheikh Hasina, now the incumbent Prime Minister, and Sheikh Rehana – survived the carnage as they were in Germany at that time.
The assassination of Bangabandhu dealt a major blow to the spirit of country’s liberation war. The country witnessed politics of killing, coup and conspiracy after his assassination.
The world community strongly protested and condemned the killing of the iconic leader, saying it is an irreparable loss to millions of people of Bangladesh.
August 15 remains as a black chapter of the country’s history as the vested quarter, by capturing state power, trampled people’s long-cherished desire for economic emancipation.❐
