Today marks 50 years since the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On this day in 1975, in one of the darkest chapters of the nation's history, Mujib was shot dead along with most of his family at his Dhanmondi 32 residence.
His daughters, Sheikh Hasina, who later became prime minister for several terms but was ousted from power on August 5 last year following a mass uprising, and Sheikh Rehana, survived the carnage carried out by a rebel group from the army, as both were abroad at the time.
This is the second consecutive year that no official observance of the day is taking place, marking a break in tradition that had been maintained since 2008.
August 15 was introduced as National Mourning Day in 1996, following the Awami League's rise to power for the first time since the tragedy.
From 2002 to 2007, the day went unobserved at the state level after the then BNP-led four-party alliance government cancelled the observance of National Mourning Day and the August 15 public holiday.
However, a High Court order in July 2008 revoked the cancellation.
On August 13 last year, a week after assuming power, the interim government decided that there would be no national holiday on August 15.
Since yesterday morning, police have tightened security on and around Dhanmondi Road 32.
Speaking to this newspaper, Kyashinyu Marma, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station, said they are on high alert. "A team is always stationed there. However, an additional police platoon has been deployed at the site since this [yesterday] morning so that no kind of sabotage can take place. The deployment will remain in place throughout August 15."
During the AL's tenure, besides top government and party leaders, AL supporters, activists, and the general public would gather at the site to pay tributes to the architect of the nation's independence.
The building, deeply entwined with Bangladesh's political history -- having borne witness to the Six-Point Movement, the 1969 mass uprising, and the 1970 general election -- was set on fire on August 5, 2024 and torn down on the night of February 5 this year.
THE CARNAGE
In the pre-dawn hours of August 15, 1975, tanks rumbled down empty roads toward their targets -- then-president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence.
A contingent of security personnel composed of police and army was on duty there. Nurul Islam Khan, the then deputy superintendent of police, was supervising the guards that night.
Inside the house, everybody was still asleep: Mujib, his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosie Jamal, and his brother Sheikh Naser.
A few tanks stopped at the entrance to Road 32 while others went in, coming to a stop at the gate of the residence.
Within minutes, a barrage of bullets shattered the windowpanes and hit the wall of the office room. The gunfire continued for a while as a group of disgruntled army officers carried out the assassination.
A few of them went up to the first floor.
As they reached the landing of the staircase, they saw Major Mohiuddin and his soldiers leading Mujib down.
"What do you want?" Mujib asked. Nobody answered. Then suddenly, two of them fired at him.
The president collapsed on the stairs.
After killing him, the soldiers ran riot throughout the residence, hunting down and killing the other family members, including Sheikh Russel, who was only 10 years old.
The same day, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, nephew of Mujib and founding chairman of Awami Jubo League, was killed with his wife Arzu Moni in their Dhanmondi residence.
Also, Abdur Rab Serniabat, former water resources minister and Mujib's brother-in-law, along with some of his family members, was killed in his Minto Road residence.
Col Jamil Uddin Ahmed was killed while on his way to Bangabandhu's house.
Besides, 14 people died in mortar fire in Mohammadpur.