Home
+
Published : 13 Aug 2024, 02:27 AM
The day of the assassination of the nation’s independence architect Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family has been observed as the National Mourning Day in Bangladesh for years. The question of how the party would commemorate the day surfaced following the ouster of the Awami League government with the party leader Sheikh Hasina fleeing Bangladesh.
Leaders and workers at different levels of the party said they are taking preparations to pay respect at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 on Aug 15. They are also releasing posters created for the event on social media.
The party’s agriculture and cooperative affairs sub-committee member Md Zaber Hossain shared a sticker in a Facebook post saying ‘The 15th August is the National Mourning Day. March to Dhanmondi 32. Join in groups to make the event successful’.
Quoting Awami League’s Joint General Secretary Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif, BBC Bangla reported that party leaders have sought permission and security from the interim government to hold a programme on Aug 15.
However, Hanif rejected the statement on the application for security to a question by bdnews24.com, saying: “The news is fake.”
Home Affairs Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain said the government did not receive any application from Awami League regarding Aug 15.
“I have just left the office. No such application has been made,” he said.
When asked what would happen if the party applied, he said, “It’s a matter of the cabinet’s decision.”
The Awami League’s central office in Dhaka was set on fire after the fall of the government on Aug 5.
The home advisor was also asked if there is any public holiday on the occasion of the National Mourning Day on Thursday.
He replied, “The cabinet meeting will take place on Tuesday. I will have to see if the matter comes up on our agenda, I can’t say anything right now.”
Within four years of winning independence from Pakistan, Bangabandhu, along with most of his family members, was assassinated by some rogue army officers on Aug 15, 1975.
The self-confessed killers even did not spare 10-year-old Sheikh Russel on the darkest night in Bangladesh's history. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived at that time as the two daughters of Bangabandhu were abroad.
The Aug 15 massacre was not commemorated for 20 years from 1975 to 1995 at the national level. It was declared National Mourning Day by the Awami League after it came to power in 1996, which was again scrapped by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government in 2001.
The day has been observed as National Mourning Day since 2008 following a High Court order.
The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, which was the residence of Bangabandhu, was set ablaze after the Aug 5 overthrow of the government.
Over the past 15 years, the Awami League had been observing the day with numerous programmes spanning the month. Similar events were planned for this year too but the government was brought down by a student-led mass movement. Hasina fled to India after resigning her premiership.
Later, Awami League offices and houses of its leaders were attacked, vandalised, looted and set on fire.
Sculptures of Bangabandhu were also vandalised in several places.
In the changing political climate, many top Awami League leaders left the country. Many of the party’s grassroots leaders went into hiding. As a result, the programmes for the month of mourning announced throughout August were no longer held.
Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy released a video message on Facebook on Sunday night, urging the party’s leaders and activists to pay homage to Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi Road No. 32 on Aug 15.
When the Awami League was in power, the National Mourning Day was celebrated across the country. Along with Dhaka, a major event was held at Bangabandhu's mausoleum in Gopalganj's Tungipara.
The party’s Tungipara unit announced several events to mark National Mourning Day. The programmes include hoisting the national flag on the morning of Aug 15, wearing black badges, paying homage at Bangabandhu's mausoleum, prayer services, discussion events and distribution of food among the poor.
Gopalganj District Awami League General Secretary GM Sahabuddin Azam told bdnews24.com, “If the leaders and activists of the party are unable to attend the programmes, they have been urged to initiate a long march to Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka."
