Hiren Pandit: August is the month of mourning. On August 15, 1975, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was brutally murdered with his all-family members.
A little research shows that the ‘blueprint’ and ‘action plan’ of this murder were very well planned. This blueprint is created by meticulously reviewing and analyzing everything before and after the event. It can be easily guessed that it is not just the brainchild of a few like Khandaker Mushtaq, Major Farooq, Rashid, and Dalim.
It is also understood that behind this there was an experienced professional international plotting group of similar political murders, who have previously made plans for many such demonic murders in different countries of the world, and previously they have made such decisions by analyzing the local and international situation.
Many ‘blueprints’ have been successfully implemented. In the case of Bangabandhu’s murder, they formed a blueprint preparation and planning cell, keeping in mind the strategic aspects of Bangladesh’s internal and regional politics.
Now many people know that there were three names on the list of foreign enemies of the then-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. One of them is Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The other two are Chilean President Salvador Allende and Vietnamese President Uyen Van Thieu. Kissinger’s goal was to overthrow these three by any means necessary. These three were always thwarting Kissinger’s plans.
Among them, Kissinger’s anger towards Bangabandhu was a little higher. One of the many reasons for this anger is that Bangabandhu made the prospect of good Sino-US relations almost impossible through the liberation struggle. At that time, Pakistan was in the role of an ambassador for the US’s relationship with China. Due to the outbreak of war in Pakistan, the work of this ambassador declined.
A revengeful Kissinger decided to overthrow Bangabandhu. At that time, it is not possible to overthrow Bangabandhu’s government while keeping him alive, Henry Kissinger and the related conspirators had no doubts about this. So, they made an ‘Action Plan’ keeping in mind the issue of overthrow by killing Bangabandhu.
Bhutto came to Dhaka on June 27, 1974. There was a huge crowd at Dhaka’s Tejgaon International Airport that day to welcome Bhutto. As a result, the police had to resort to baton-charge to disperse the crowd. Bhutto understood that Pakistani agents were working very well in independent Bangladesh. Had it not been for the fact that the Pakistan Army had killed three million Bengalis and disrespected the honor of three million mothers and sisters just three years ago, there would not have been so many people to welcome their Prime Minister.
During Bhutto’s visit to Dhaka, he was accompanied by some skilled officers of the Pakistani intelligence agency. On reaching Dhaka they contacted their agents in Bangladesh. Even Bhutto exchanged views with Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmad through an influential person during that visit. At that time Bhutto gave a green signal to Khandkar Mushtaq.
After Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s visit to Bangladesh, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited Dhaka on October 30 of the same year as part of the Bangabandhu assassination plot. He was in Dhaka for only eight hours in total. Journalists were waiting for Kissinger outside Banga Bhaban. He spoke to reporters for only a few minutes.
Then he went directly to his car. On the other hand, the anti-Bangabandhu clique was very active in Dhaka. Bangabandhu placed Khandaker Mushtaq and Taher Uddin Thakur in his government. Mushtaq was the Minister of Commerce and Taher was the Minister of State for Information. Their ministerial duties in the Cabinet were like outer garments. To show people. Inside, they were active in the plot to overthrow the government.
Kissinger came to Dhaka at that time and noticed that the background of the action was fully prepared according to their plan. Law and order in Bangladesh have deteriorated, and radical communal forces have risen. Famines and floods spread. People are dying of starvation, malnutrition and diseases. Attempts to exploit the anti-Bangabandhu anger across the country are being partially successful. Therefore, they considered this time suitable to overthrow Bangabandhu by killing him. So, Kissinger gave the green signal to assassinate Bangabandhu just like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. As a result, the Pakistan-US plotting camp began to work harder to implement the action plan.
A special aspect of the Bangabandhu assassination plot is that a self-interested group of Awami League and some freedom fighters were placed in front of this plot. This strategy is adopted to completely hide the involvement of America, Pakistan or any other foreign country against the independence of Bangladesh behind this terrible conspiracy.
For this reason, soldiers or officers who returned from Pakistan were not connected with this assassination plot. Some Awami League leaders and freedom fighters were linked to this plot from another misfortune. It is to blame the killing of Bangabandhu on his own party Awami League and the freedom fighters to tarnish the image of all freedom fighters and tarnish the Awami League, the leading party of the liberation war.
Bhutto-Kissinger clique to implement the plan to kill Bangabandhu by analyzing the internal and regional political situation, decided to kill Bangabandhu before September 75. Because the administration of Bangladesh Krishak Shramik Awami League (BAKSAL) was supposed to start on September 1. When BAKSAL is launched, the army will be taken out of the barracks and spread across 64 districts. There will be 64 governors over the army units in those 64 districts. Then it will not be possible to take any kind of military action against Bangabandhu.
As a result, they decided to implement the plan to kill Bangabandhu before September 1 anyway. In this case, the month of August and date are fixed on 15th August due to several reasons. A major headache for the CIA and the Khandkar Mushtaq clique in implementing this plan was the Rakkhi Bahini. This army was very extensive in Bangabandhu. Therefore, they focused on the security forces in creating the blueprint for the assassination of Bangabandhu.
Also decided to make the Rakkhi Bahini leaderless before August 15, so that this force could not take any action in the final phase of the implementation of the plan. To this end, before August 15, the Chief of Rakkhi Bahini, Brigadier Nuruzzaman was invited to the United States for a course on defense. Brigadier General Nuruzzaman accepted the invitation and left for the United States on August 12. Immediately rumors spread that Brigadier Nuruzzaman was going abroad to procure tanks for the Rakkhi Bahini. Abul Hasan Khan was the Acting Director of the Rakkhi Bahini at that time. However, in the absence of Brigadier General Nuruzzaman, the condition of the Rakkhi Bahini was like a boat without a rudder.
In this situation, the conspirators were sure that the army would not be able to stand up against the tank army of assassins. Whether or not there are any bullets in that tank is a top secret, the Rakkhi Bahini are not supposed to know. So, the conspirators assumed that the presence of tanks in the camp would cause the Rakkhi Bahini’ rifles to drop. Brigadier Nuruzzaman, on his way to the United States, learned in London that Bangabandhu had been killed. He had nothing to do then.
The day Bangabandhu was killed was Friday. Major Farooq told quite a story about this Friday. In an interview, he said, ‘He was born during the morning Azaan on Friday. Again, this Friday is his marriage day. On one such Friday, he left the Pakistani army and joined the liberation war of Bangladesh. On the other hand, this Friday is the holiest day for Muslims. So, they chose Friday to commit this murder!’ But is that the real thing? Certainly not. There are other reasons for this. August 15, 1975 was Friday. This August 15 is India’s Independence Day.
The conspirators feared that if Bangabandhu was killed, India might launch a military operation in accordance with the twenty-five-year Indo-Bangladesh Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. If India launches a military campaign, it will not be possible for them to handle it. But on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, the Government of India, the Indian political leadership and the military will be busy. On such a day they will not conduct military operations in a neighboring country. So. the conspirators chose this day as the day to kill Bangabandhu.
Apart from this, the conspirators chose August 15 for two other reasons. One of them is that in August 1975, the training of 64 newly appointed governors of 64 districts was going on in Dhaka on the eve of the appointment of district officers of the newly formed BAKSAL. On the occasion of this training, the top leaders of every district of the country were staying in Dhaka. Therefore, the conspirators assumed that after Bangabandhu’s murder, if they could arrest them by imposing a curfew in Dhaka, no effective resistance would be formed anywhere in Bengal. Because, in the absence of leaders, the BAKSAL of different districts was like a boat without a rudder.
August 15, 1975, is a day of national mourning. It is the day when Bengal’s sky and air and nature also become unsafe. Because on this day of seventy-five, August and Shraban (a Bengali month) were united together in the flood of Bangabandhu’s blood and tears that tore the heart of the sky. On the night of August 15, 1975, when Bangabandhu and his family were killed by bullets in his residence at Dhanmondi number 32, the rain that was falling was like the tears of nature. Wet air is crying all over Bengal. In front of the weapons of the assassins’, frightened Bangladesh was shocked by the suddenness of the unexpected event. The fire of mourning will burn from future to future.
August 15 is the day of reading the mournful words, the 48th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Independent Bangladesh. Those who were martyred on that black night were the undisputed leader of the Bengali nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangabandhu’s wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa, son Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, Sheikh Russell, Sheikh Kamal’s wife Sultana Kamal, Jamal’s wife Rozi Jamal, who were killed by assassins on the black night of August 15, 1975.
Bangabandhu’s brother Sheikh Nasser, SB officer Siddiqur Rahman, Colonel Jamil, and army man Syed Mahbubul Haque, around the same time the assassins attacked the residence of Bangabandhu’s nephew Jubo League leader Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, his pregnant wife Arju Mani, Bangabandhu’s sister-in-law Abdur Serniabat and his daughter Baby, son Arif Serniabat, grandson Sukant Babu, Abdur Rab Serniabat’s elder brother’s son Sajib Serniabat and a relative Bentu Khan, Rob Serniat’s attacked at Mintu road. The nation remembers all the martyrs with deep mourning and respect.
The conspiracies of the defeated evil forces of the liberation war did not stop. To avenge the defeat, they are getting one plot trap after another. On August 15, 1975, the conspirators used some misguided and ambitious army members to actualize the plot. They attacked house number 32 of Dhanmondi, known as the freedom house, late at night. Killed the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family.
The writer is a columnist and a research fellow