Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh, who was brutally assassinated by a group of army officers along with most members of his family.
Once commemorated as National Mourning Day under Awami League rule, the date now comes under a vastly different political climate, following last year's mass uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led AL government and the repeal of the public holiday by the interim administration.
Alongside Sheikh Mujib, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, and Sheikh Russel, his daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosie Jamal, and his brother Sheikh Abu Naser were also killed that night.
Sheikh Mujib's two daughters, Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, survived as they were in Brussels, Belgium, at the time.
In January of that same year, Mujib dissolved all political parties and established a one-party system under the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL), which sparked public resentment.
Twenty-one years after the assassination, in 1996, the Awami League returned to power under Hasina's leadership. The government then declared 15 August as National Mourning Day and made it a public holiday.
During the Awami League's nearly 15-and-a-half-year rule, the party used to observe month-long programmes centred around 15 August and the grenade attack of 21 August 2004, including placing wreaths at Mujib's grave in Tungipara and various other commemorations.
Last year, a nationwide mass uprising by students and the public brought an end to 15 years of authoritarian rule. Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and top Awami League leaders also left the country.
On the day of the uprising, Sheikh Mujib's residence at Dhanmondi 32 was set on fire. Later in February, the house was attacked and demolished.
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