Today marks the 50th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the early hours of August 15, 1975, he was assassinated at his residence at 32 Dhanmondi, Dhaka, by a group of army personnel.
Along with Sheikh Mujib, his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, three sons—Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, and the young Sheikh Russel—two daughters-in-law, Sultana Kamal and Rozie Jamal, and his only brother Sheikh Abu Naser were also killed.
On the same night, Sheikh Mujib’s nephew, Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, and his pregnant wife Arju Moni were killed in an attack on their home. Other victims included Bangabandhu’s brother-in-law Abdur Rob Serniabat, his children, and relatives. Sheikh Mujib’s daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, survived as they were in Brussels, Belgium, at the time.
The assassination occurred just three and a half years after Bangladesh’s independence. Sheikh Mujib had led the nine-month Liberation War in 1971 and faced numerous challenges in rebuilding the country post-independence. In early 1975, he introduced a one-party system, BAKSAL, aimed at restoring political stability, which drew criticism from opposition parties and fueled conspiratorial activities.
The killings shocked the world. India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called it “one of the darkest days in the history of Bangladesh.” Condolences came from the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and the UN, all praising Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s contributions and urging political stability.
In 1996, when the Awami League returned to power, August 15 was declared National Mourning Day and a public holiday. However, following political changes after a mass uprising, the interim government abolished it as a public holiday last year.