Dhaka, Aug 15 (V7N) – The nation today observes the 50th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, assassinated along with most of his family on this day in 1975. Unlike previous years, the day arrives amid a drastically changed political atmosphere.

For three consecutive terms, the Awami League government observed August 15 as National Mourning Day. However, following the party’s ouster in a mass student- and people-led uprising on August 5, 2024, party president Sheikh Hasina left the country. Dr. Muhammad Yunus subsequently assumed leadership of the interim government. Last year, the official holiday for National Mourning Day was cancelled after consultations with political parties.

The events of August 15 remain one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh’s history. In the early hours of that day, a group of renegade army officers stormed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Dhanmondi 32 residence, killing him, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, and child Sheikh Russell, as well as daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosie Jamal.

Also killed were Sheikh Mujib’s younger brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, his children Arif and Baby, Sukanta Babu, nephew and Jubo League leader Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, his pregnant wife Arju Moni, Abdul Naeem Khan Rintu, Colonel Jamil, and at least 16 other relatives and associates. Only Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived as they were in West Germany at the time.

The official observance of August 15 has seen political reversals. The Awami League first declared it a national day of mourning in 1996. The BNP-led four-party alliance government abolished the designation in 2001, before a caretaker government reinstated it in 2007.

Following the change in government last year, the Awami League has been banned from all political activities pending the trial of its leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal. Its student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, has also been banned. Still, the party marked the day through messages and condolence statements on social media.

Security has been tightened at Dhanmondi 32, with police armored vehicles and personnel deployed since Thursday morning. Barricades have been placed to restrict movement in the area. Five individuals have been detained for “suspicious loitering.” A cocktail explosion was reported at the Shukrabad intersection around midnight, though no casualties were reported.

END/SMA/AJ