Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, was assassinated on August 15, 1975.
Background
Following the independence of Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Mujib became the prime minister, and later the president of the country. However, he initiated One-party rule and declared himself president for life thorugh a constitutional amendment in early 1975. The famine of 1974, widespread corruption among the ruling Awami League politicians and Mujib's family members, and the discontent in the Bangladesh Army paved the way for the assassiantion conspiracies.Conspirators
Syed Faruque Rahman, Abdur Rashid, Sharful Haqueu Dalim, all majors in the Bangladesh Army, and freedom fighters, hatchefd a conspiracy. Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed, an Awami League minister, agreed to take over the presidency. It is not known how much the role of CIA was in the conspiracy, though a 2005 memoir by Lawrence Lifschultz alleges signifcant participation by the Dhaka office of the CIA.Events
On the early morning of August 15, 1975, the conspirators were divided into 3 groups. One group attacked Mujib's house in road number 32, Dhanmondi Residential Area. Mujib was killed on the stairs, and all the members of his family were also executed. Two other groups of soldiers killed Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, Mujib's nephew and influencial leader of Awami League, and Abdur Rab Serniabat, Mujib's brother-in-law, and a minister of the Government. Four major leaders of Awami League, Tajuddin Ahmed, Mansur Ali, Syed Nazrul Islam and AHM Kamruzzaman were arrested and jailed (they would later be executed on November 4, 1975).Aftermath
Khondaker Mustaq Ahmed assumed presidency and the participating army officers became the de-facto leaders of the country. They were later toppled by yet another coup led by General Khaled Mosharraf on November 3, 1975. Mosharraf himself was killed in a counter coup on November 7, which installed General Ziaur Rahman in power. Faruque Rahman, Rashid, and the other army officers had been promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonels. They were exiled in Libya and other countries, and were given several diplomatic posts in Bangladesh missions abroad. Faruque later returned and founded the Bangladesh Freedom Party.Trial
The conspirators could not be tried in criminal court for the assassination, because the Indemnity Ordinance gave them a blanket pardon for any acts committed on August 15, 1975. However, when Awami League, led by Mujib's daugher, Sheikh Hasina, won the election in 1996, it repealed the ordinance. The Bangabandhu murder trial commenced, and Faruque, and some other coup leaders were arrested. Rashid, however, escaped arrest as he was reportedly in Libya. The trial ended in death sentences for Faruque and the major coup leaders. However, as of 2006, the sentences are yet to be carreid out.See also
References
- [[Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood]], by Anthony Mascarenhaas.
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