51st anniversary of Sheikh Mujib’s assassination today

The 51st death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be observed today.

At the fateful dawn of 15 August in 1975, a group of disgruntled army officers assassinated the great leader along with most of his family members at his historic Dhanmondi residence and toppled his three and half-year-old government.

Three separate groups of junior officers attacked three houses at house no 677 of Dhanmondi 32, 13/1 of Dhanmondi, 27 Minto Road simultaneously, and killed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa; sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell; daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal; brother Sheikh Abu Naser; politician Abdur Rab Serniabat, Sheikh Fazlul Haq Mani and his wife Arzu Moni; and some others.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s two daughters – Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – survived the carnage as they were in Germany at that time.

Justice for the killing was obstructed for 21 years due to an indemnity ordinance passed following the assassination to protect the killers.

After repealing the ordinance, a case was filed on 2 October 1996 and the court awarded death sentences to 15 accused on 8 November 1998. Later, the High Court acquitted three of the accused on 30 April, 2001. Finally the verdict was executed partially on 27 January 2009.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman struggled for 23 years against the tyranny of West Pakistan inflicted on Bangalees.

As a continuation of the struggle, Awami League under his leadership secured a brute majority in the 1970 elections but the Pakistanis didn’t hand over power and conducted one of the most infamous pogroms of human history.

Sheikh Mujib on 7 March 1971 made a historic call for noncooperation with the state of Pakistan and to build a fortress of resistance. Later, when the Pakistan army on the fateful night of 25 March 1971 launched the infamous “Operation Searchlight” on unarmed Bengalis, they arrested him and took to Pakistan.

Standing against the brutality and repression, Bengalis engaged in a bloody war against the Pakistani occupation forces to achieve the long-cherished victory on 16 December the same year. Sheikh Mujib returned to the country on 10 January 1972.