Month of mourning begins tomorrow

DHAKA, July 31, 2017 (BSS) - The month of mourning begins tomorrow with the nation once again recalling the most brutal killing in its history and renewing the pledge to safeguard perpetually the country's independence and sovereignty.

The killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on the fateful night of August 15, 1975 is the ugliest chapter of the nation's history.

The self-confessed killers of August 15 did not assassinate Bangabandhu alone, but also killed 16 other members of his family, friends and relatives. They include his wife Begum Fazilanunnessa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, nephew and eminent journalist Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, his pregnant wife Arzoo Moni and Colonel Jamil.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, escaped the planned assassination with her sister Sheikh Rehana as they were staying overseas then.

The killing of Bangabandhu, the greatest son of the soil in thousand years, descended a pall of gloom and spread a sense of deep sadness 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 August is also black marked with another planned conspiracy of assassination that the nation cannot ever forget the heinous attempt of killing of Sheikh Hasina.

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

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

Like the previous years, different political and socio-cultural and likeminded organisations, including ruling Awami League and its associate bodies have chalked out elaborate programmes beginning tomorrow.

This year the nation will be observing the National Mourning Day and the 42nd anniversary of martyrdom of Father of the Nation.

At dawn on August 15, the national flag and party flag will be kept at half mast while black flag will be hoisted at the Bangabandhu Bhaban, Awami League (AL) headquarters in the caital city and all other offices of the party across the country.

AL and other associate bodies will place wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 in the morning. As part of the programme, leaders, workers and supporters of AL and other organisations will pay homage to the martyrs of 1975 at the Banani graveyard, offer Fateha and munajat there on August 15.

Rich tribute will be paid to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at the Bangabandhu shrine in Tungipara and offering prayers simultaneously at the site where the country's founding father is laid to his eternal rest.

A delegation of the Awami League central executive committee will visit the shrine on August 15.

Special prayers will be offered at all mosques across the country seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and his deceased family members. Besides, special prayers will also be offered at all temples and places of worships of other religions.

AL will distribute special foods among the poor, destitute and orphanages while it will hold milad-mahfil and offer doa at Bangabandhu Bhaban after Asr prayers on August 15.

Besides, AL will organize a discussion meeting at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) at 4 pm on August 16 with party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Bangabandhu Gobeshona Parishad have also chalked elaborate programmes to mark the National Mourning Day and the 42nd martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.