Bangladesh marks on Friday the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In the predawn hours of August 15, 1975, gunfire broke the stillness of Dhanmondi 32 as a group of army personnel entered Bangabandhu’s residence, killing him along with most of his family members.
Among those who died were Sheikh Fazilatunessa Mujib; his sons Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal; their wives Sultana Kamal and Parveen Jamal Rosy; his youngest child, ten-year-old Sheikh Russell; his younger brother, Sheikh Abu Nasser; his nephew Sheikh Fazlul Haq Moni and his pregnant wife Begum Arju Moni; his brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat with several members of his family; and Abdul Naeem Khan Rintu, a cousin of Amir Hossain Amu.
Others killed included Colonel Jamil Uddin Ahmad, Bangabandhu’s chief security officer, and Special Branch officer Siddikur Rahman. Only Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who were in Germany at the time, survived.
This year’s observance comes as the interim government, led by Prof Muhammad Yunus, has cancelled August 15 as the national day of mourning following the August 5, 2024 departure of Awami League president and ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina amid the student-people uprising.