The historic citation and crests, which were supposed to be presented to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during his scheduled visit to Dhaka University on August 15, 1975, were handed over to his daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday.
The citation wrapped with a casket and the two silver-made crests along with a DU monogram were supposed to be presented to then President Bangabandhu and Chancellor of the university at its convocation on August 15, 1975, reports UNB.
But before the day peeps, the Father of the Nation and most of his family members were gunned down by a military cabal.
The wooden framed citation was found in a pile of files inside an almirah in a room of the administrative building of the university on December 2, 2009, and the crests and casket were found in a safe at the Registrar’s office.
Amir Hossain, a retired deputy registrar, found the citation at the registrar’s building while he was searching for his personal documents and handed it over to the Vice Chancellor on December 4, 2009.
DU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique handed over the citation along with some gifts to the Prime Minister at a simple ceremony at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi.
After handing over the gifts and citation, Professor Arefin Siddiue read out the ‘citation’ before the audience, which was supposed to be read out at the August 15, 1975 convocation by then DU Vice Chancellor late Professor Abdul Matin Chowdhury.
Accepting the ‘citation’ and ‘gifts’, the Prime Minister in an emotion-chocked voice and thanked the Dhaka University administration for preserving these for a long time even in the adverse situation.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members in August15, 1975, the country’s history had been distorted intentionally with state patronage.
“It proved that the real history can’t be erased with the sweet will of any ruler or vested quarters,” she mentioned.
Sheikh Hasina said she as a student of Dhaka University had wanted to attend the convocation, which was scheduled to be organised in honour of Bangabandhu.
She informed then Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Professor Abdul Matin Chowdhury that she could not attend it as her husband Dr Wazed Mia had been insisting her to go to Germany accompanying him.
PM’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, University Grants Commission Chairman Professor AK Azad Chowdhury, DU Pro-Vice Chancellor (admin) Dr Shahid Akhtar Hossain, Treasurer Professor Kamaluddin and PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad were also present at the function conducted by acting DU Registrar Syed Rezaur Rahman.
