The first day of the mournful month of August commemorating the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975, was observed with paying glowing tributes to him.

Ruling Awami League’s front organizations- Awami Swechchhasebak League, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Bangladesh Matsyajibi League brought out candlelight processions towards Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 at one-minute past zero hours.

Leaders and workers of the three organizations assembled with candlelight on the premises of Bangabandhu’s residence at Dhanmondi-32 which is now Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. They paid homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait there.

Awami Swechchhasebak League President Gazi Mesbaul Hossain Sachchu and General Secretary AKM Afzalur Rahman Babu led the procession. BCL President Saddam Hussain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Enan led their programme while other central leaders, Dhaka University unit, Dhaka city north and south units’ leaders joined it.

As part of the central programme of AL, a voluntary blood and plasma donation programme was inaugurated at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) at Khamarbari in the city this morning under the arrangement of Krishak League.

AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the programme. Krishak League President Samir Chanda chaired the inauguration ceremony which was moderated by its General Secretary Umme Kulsum Smriti.

AL Presidium Members Mosharraf Hossain, Begum Matia Chowdhury and Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim also spoke.

On the first day of the month of mourning, month-long Quran khatam programme began under the arrangement of Awami Jubo League. The organization also distributed foods among distressed people in front of AL’s Bangabandhu Avenue central office in the capital.

Awami League and its front organizations and different social and cultural organizations will observe month-long programme marking the month of mourning.
The month of mourning begins today commemorating the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975.

The August 15 carnage is the ugliest chapter of the nation’s history as the self-confessed killers not only assassinate the nation’s founding father alone, but also killed 16 other members of his family, friends and relatives.

The nation observes with heavy heart the month of August as the month of mourning to recall the barbaric killing on 1975’s 15 August.

The August 15 carnage martyrs included Bangabandhu’s wife Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, Bangabandhu’s brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, nephew and eminent journalist Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, Moni’s pregnant wife Arzoo Moni and Bangabandhu’s military secretary Colonel Jamil.

Bangabandhu’s two daughters – incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana – escaped the planned assassination as they were visiting Germany at that time.

With the killing of Bangabandhu, the greatest Bangalee of all times, a pall of gloom descended and a sense of deep sadness spread among the people in the country and across the globe.

The world protested and condemned the killing, saying it is an irreparable loss to millions of people of Bangladesh.

The month of August is also black marked with another conspiracy of assassination. The nation cannot ever forget the heinous attempt of killing Sheikh Hasina through grenade attacks in 2004.

The vested quarter, who assassinated Bangabandhu in 1975, also tried to destroy Awami League (AL) by killing its president Sheikh Hasina with grenades on an anti-terrorism rally at Bangabandhu Avenue here on August 21 in 2004.

Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped the attack suffering splinter injuries when 24 of her party men, including Awami League’s women affairs secretary Ivy Rahman, were killed and 500 others injured.