Bangladesh is set to observe Jail Killing Day on Saturday, to pay tribute to four national leaders and Liberation War heroes who were brutally murdered inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
The four leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, AHM Quamruzzaman, and Captain M Mansur Ali —led Bangladesh during the Liberation War after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was detained by the Pakistani junta on March 25, 1971.
The leaders were sent to jail after the gruesome murders of the Father of the Nation and most of his family on August 15, 1975. Less than three months later, the four were killed by military officials who were backed by then self-proclaimed president Khondoker Mushtaq Ahmed.
Syed Nazrul Islam was acting president of the Bangladesh government in exile, known as the Mujibnagar government, during the nine-month battle for independence. Tajuddin Ahmed served as the prime minister of the Mujibnagar government.
AHM Quamruzzmaan and Captain Mansur Ali, both close associates of Bangabandhu, played crucial roles in formulating the policies and guerilla warfare strategies used against the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War.
Awami League, its associate organizations, and other socio-political bodies have drawn up elaborate programs to commemorate Jail Killing Day today. President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages of tribute to the slain leaders on the eve of the day, reports BSS.
Awami League’s programs will begin at dawn, with the hoisting of the national and party flags at half-mast at all of the party’s offices across the country. Black flags will also be hoisted, and members of Awami League will wear black badges.
Wreaths will be placed at the mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi at 7am, and later at the graves of Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain Mansur Ali, and the August 15 martyrs at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka. Special prayers will be offered and a milad mahfil organized.
Identical programs will be arranged at AHM Quamaruzzaman’s grave in Rajshahi.
A milad mahfil will also be organized at the Dhaka Old Central Jail, where the four national leaders were killed, at 9am. A similar program will be arranged at Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim’s Dhanmondi residence.
At 3pm, a discussion chaired Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be held at the Krishibid Institution auditorium in the capital.
