Today is the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
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, Daily Sun reports.
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, peasants leader Abdur Rab Serniabat, youth leader Sheikh Fazlul Haq Mani and his wife Arzu Moni, and some others.
Bangabandhu’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.
When Awami League returned to power and repealed the ordinance, a case was filed on 2 October 1996 and the court awarded death sentences to 15 accused on 8 November 1998.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 did not hand over power and conducted one of the most infamous pogroms of history.
Responding to the call from Bangabandhu on 26 March in 1971, Bangalees stood against the brutality and repression and engaged in a bloody war against Pakistani occupation forces to achieve the long-cherished victory on 16 December the same year.
This year, the day is being observed in a different context as his daughter Sheikh Hasina on August 5 resigned from the post of prime minister in the face of a bloody uprising of students and mass people and fled the country after over 15 years of her consecutive rule.
bd-pratidin/GR
