National Mourning Day today

The nation observes National Mourning Day today marking the 43rd anniversary of the death of the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 
Mujib was assassinated along with all but two of his family on August 15, 1975 at his Dhanmandi house in Dhaka by a group of army personnel.
His daughters – Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, and Sheikh Rehana – survived the massacre as they were abroad.
The government, political parties, and different 
socio-political and cultural organisations have taken elaborate programmes marking the day. 
The ruling Awami League and different organisations backed by the party are already holding month-long programme to pay homage to Sheikh Mujib and members of his family killed on the fateful day.
A group of army personnel killed Mujib, his wife Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother Sheikh Naser, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, also a youth leader, his wife Arzu Moni, Mujib’s brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, also a peasant leader, his daughter Baby Serniabat, son Arif Serniabat, grandson Sukanta Abdullah Babu, AL leader Amir Hossain Amu’s cousin Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu and Mujib’s chief security officer colonel Jamiluddin Ahmed on the night of August 15, 1975.
Five of the 12 army officers, condemned convicts of Mujib killing, – Syed Faruk Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Muhiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed – were executed on January 27, 2010, a year after the Awami League-led alliance government had assumed office. 
Six other condemned convicts – Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haq Dalim, MA Rashed Chowdhury, SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Abdul Mazed and Moslem Uddin – are still in hiding abroad. The rest one, retired Aziz Pasha, reportedly died abroad.
President Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages paid homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In his massage, the president said, ‘August 15, 1975 is regarded as a disgraceful chapter in the history of the Bangali.’
In his belief, Sheikh Mujib always nourished the well-being of Bangla, Bengali and Bangladesh, he said. ‘He was the harbinger of freedom of the Bengali nation.’ 
In her message on the eve of National Mourning Day, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said anti-liberation forces promulgated the indemnity ordinance and blocked the trial of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s brutal assassination.
‘The 15th August is National Mourning Day. On this day in 1975, the greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with his family members, was assassinated in one of the most barbaric carnages in the human history,’ the prime minister said. 
The national flag will be at half-mast at government, semi-government and autonomous organisations, educational institutions, private buildings and Bangladesh missions abroad.
Awami League will also hoist national and party flags at half-mast and fly black flags at Bangabandhu Bhaban, party’s central office and party offices across the country at sunrise.
The president and the prime minister will place wreaths at the portrait of Mujib at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 at 6:30am. 
Leaders and activists of Awami League will come to Bangabandhu Museum in silent processions from different city areas and pay tributes to the independence leader. A special prayer session will be held there.
Bangladesh Mahila Awami League will hold a prayer session on Bangabandhu Bhaban premises at 5:00pm.
The prime minister will also place wreaths on the graves of the slain members of her family and others at Banani at 7:30am. 
The prime minister, along with the cabinet members and party leaders, will visit Tungipara in Gopalganj, the birthplace of Mujib, to place wreaths on his grave and take part in a special prayer there at 10:00am. 
Awami League will hold a discussion at Bangbandhu International Conference Centre in the capital at 4:00pm on Thursday. Hasina is expected to attend it as chief guest.
AL’s associate bodies and different cultural and social organisations, educational institutions including all public universities have also taken detailed programmes including discussions, painting exhibitions, book fairs and special prayer sessions. 
State-run Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television and private television channels and radio stations will air special programmes marking the day. Newspapers will carry special supplements.
Traffic in and around Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi will be restricted on the occasion. Dhaka Metropolitan Police will restrict traffic from Sonargaon crossing to Russel Square, City College to Russel Square and Dhanmondi-27 to Russell Square in the capital on that day, said DMP commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah.
‘Although we have no specific intelligence report of threat on the occasion, the law enforcers will provide tight security to avert any untoward incident,’ he said. 
The Awami League government on August 8, 1996 declared August 15 National Mourning Day and a public holiday.
Its successor, Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government, however, cancelled the decision on August 2, 2002 and the High Court on July 27, 2008 declared the cancellation illegal. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net