Awami League, its associate bodies and different social and cultural organizations have paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders on the Jail Killing Day.
The Awami League leaders and workers paid homage by laying wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of the Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi Road No 32 and at the graves of the three national leaders at the Banani Cemetery in Dhaka on Tuesday following the health guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As the grave of AHM Qamruzzaman among the four national leaders is in Kadirganj of Rajshahi, so, the ruling party also paid homage there.
At 8am, a wreath on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was laid at the portrait of Bangabandhu.
Later, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader along with the party central leaders paid tributes to Bangabandhu's portrait.
Awami League presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Abdul Matin Khasru and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, joint general secretaries Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, organizing secretaries Ahmed Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque, Advocate Afzal Hossain and Mirza Azam, Office Secretary Biplob Barua, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Labour Secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, Health Secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana, Women's Affairs Secretary Meher Afroz Chumki, and Central Committee member Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin were present.
Later, the party leaders and workers placed wreaths at the graves of August 15 martyrs and national leaders at the Banani Cemetery.
Holy Fateha recitation, milad mahfil and special prayers, seeking the eternal peace of the departed souls of martyred Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members killed in August 15, 1975 and the four national leaders, were held there.
A similar program was also arranged at the grave of AHM Qamruzzaman in Kadirganj of Rajshahi.
Dhaka north and south city unit Awami League, Mohila Awami League, Awami Jubo League, Chhatra League, Swechchhasebak League, Krishak League, Jatiya Sramik League, Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad, Bangabandhu Parishad, Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance, and various political parties and social organizations paid homage to the four national leaders by placing wreaths at their graves.
The party will arrange a discussion at its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the city at 3:30pm Tuesday.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join the program through a video conference from her official Ganabhaban residence.
Assassination of four leaders
On November 3, 1975, heroes of the country's Liberation War, the four national leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali, and AHM Qamruzzaman — were assassinated inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
The four national leaders played a key role in forming Bangladesh Provisional Government in exile that led the Liberation War in 1971, with Syed Nazrul Islam as the acting president, Tajuddin Ahmad as the prime minister, Captain Mansur Ali as the finance minister, and AHM Qamruzzaman as the home, relief and rehabilitation minister.
After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the anti-liberation forces killed the national four leaders as a part of conspiracy to make the newly independent country leaderless.
Khondoker Mushtaque Ahmed and two killers of Bangabandhu — colonel (sacked) Syed Faruque Rahman and lieutenant colonel (sacked) Khondoker Abdur Rashid — had designed the blue print of heinous killing of the four national leaders inside the jail.
A five-member killing squad led by resalder Musleh Uddin, who was close aide to Faruque, was also formed.
A probe commission was formed on September 18, 1980 in London over the killings of August 15, 1975 and subsequently the jail killing on November 3 in the same year.
"The probe commission was formed following an appeal of Bangabandhu's two daughters -- incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, Mohammad Selim, son of Mansur Ali, and Syed Ashraful Islam, son of Syed Nazrul Islam," said Prof Abu Sayeed in his book "Bangabandhu murder facts and documents."
But at that time, the probe commission became ineffective due to non-cooperation by the then Bangladesh government led by President Ziaur Rahman. Even Ziaur Rahman government had declined to provide visa to a probe commission member.