Staff Reporter :The nation will pay rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman today (Saturday) in observance of the National Mourning Day commemorating his 40th death anniversary. On this dreadful night of August 15 in 1975, some disgruntled and over ambitious army officers assassinated Bangabandhu and most of his family members at his 32, Dhanmondi residence in the capital.The day is a public holiday.State-run Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television as well as private television channels and radio stations will air special programmes highlighting the life, struggle and achievements of Bangabandhu. Newspapers will bring out supplement on the occasion. The government, the ruling Awami League, different socio-cultural, political and professional bodies have chalked out elaborate programmes to observe the National Mourning Day today (Saturday) across the country with due solemnity. The programmes of the day include lowering of the national and party flags at half-mast and hoisting of black flags at Bangabandhu Bhaban, party’s central office and its offices across the country at dawn, placing of wreaths at the portrait of the great leader at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi at 6:45 am and at the graves of the martyrs of August 15 carnage at Banani at 7:30am, and offering of fateha, munajat and milad mahfil there.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will first place wreaths at the portrait of the Great Leader at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi at 6:30 am.A smartly turned out contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces will present a guard of honour on the occasion while a munajat will be offered there.From there, Sheikh Hasina will go to the Banani Graveyard and place floral wreaths and shower flower petals on the graves of her family members, including her mother and brothers, who were assassinated on that fateful night of August 15, 1975.Bangabandhu’s wife and PM’s mother Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib, PM’s brothers Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell and other martyrs were buried at the Banani Graveyard. The Prime Minster will offer fateha there.She will then fly to Tungipara and place wreaths at the Mazar of Bangabandhu, offer Fateha and attend a munajat. A smartly turned out contingent of the Armed Forces will give a guard of honour to the Prime Minister there. She will then attend a milad and doa mahfil at the Mazar Complex.After returning to the capital from Tungipara, the Prime Minister will attend another milad mahfil to be organised by Mohila AL at Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi after Asr prayers.President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion of the National Mourning Day.Eighteen members of Bangabandhu’s family and his close ones who were brutally killed on that night include his wife Bangamata Fazilatunnessa Mujib, brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and 10-year-old Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni and his pregnant wife Arzoo Moni and Bangabandhu’s military secretary Bir Uttam Colonel Jamil who rushed to the spot of occurrence on receiving SOS from Bangabandhu Bhaban early in the morning.Since the mayhem, AL, its associate bodies and other likeminded pro-liberation parties, social, cultural and professionals’ organizations have been observing the day as the National Mourning Day.
