PM Hasina urges citizens to build non-communal, poverty-free Bangladesh

Bangladesh set to observe National Mourning Day on Monday, commemorating the 47th anniversary of the martyrdom of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The assassination of Bangabandhu dealt a major blow to the spirit of the country's liberation war.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, urged the people of the country to turn the grief of the loss of Bangabandhu into strength and engage themselves in building a non-communal, hunger-poverty free and prosperous Bangladesh by upholding his philosophy.

The country saw politics of killing, coup and conspiracy after the killing of the iconic leader.

Bangabandhu's two daughters incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived the "carnage" on August 15, 1975 as they were in Germany at that time.

"August 15 is a scandalous chapter in the history of the Bengali nation. On this fateful night of 1975, the undisputed leader and the greatest Bangalee of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally killed at his Dhanmondi residence by a group of assailants with the direct and indirect connivance of anti-liberation forces. His wife Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, and many of his near and dear ones were also killed along with Bangabandhu," the President said.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Hasina will pay homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital on Monday.

The programmes include hoisting of the national flag at half mast atop all the government and non-government offices and Bangladesh missions abroad. Although the day is a public holiday, many company of RMG sector deny the holiday on the national mourn day, as they disown the black day of the nation.

"Let's turn our grief of losing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib into our strength. Let's build a non-communal, hunger-poverty-free prosperous Golden Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation through reflecting the glory and ideals of his long-struggling life in our actions; this should be our firm pledge on this National Mourning Day," the premier said in her message on Sunday.

At the fateful dawn of August 15 in 1975, a group of proclaimed pro-Pakistani killers, the army officers assassinated the country's "undaunted" leader Bangabandhu along with most of his family members and toppled his three-and-half-year-old government.

August 15 remains as a black chapter of the country's history as the vested quarter, by capturing state power, trampled people's long-cherished desire for economic emancipation.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion of National Mourning Day and the 47th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu. The President in his message described August 15 as a scandalous chapter in the history of the Bengali nation.

--IANS

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