1975 The Killing Of November

Tragedy has been part of Bangladesh’s history, both before and after the attainment of independence.

- Syed Badrul Ahsan

PROLOGUE

It was the expectation of the nation, once the country stood liberated in December 1971, that Bangladesh would emerge as a truly democratic, secular and socialist republic under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. And indeed Bangabandhu began well, with the overwhelming support of his people. A war-ravaged land, a destroyed economy, a ruined infrastructure --- all needed to be built anew.

But that was not to be. A vast intrigue involving both local and alien elements put paid to our dreams. On August 15, 1975, foul conspiracy caused the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family. Bloody treason reigned supreme. A few days after the dark deed was committed, the four leaders of the 1971 Mujibnagar government --- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, M. Mansur Ali and A.H.M. Quamruzzaman --- were carted off to prison by the usurper regime of Khondkar Moshtaque Ahmed. They would never emerge into freedom ever again, for even as Brigadier Khaled Musharraf went into action on November 3 against the assassins of August, these four pre-eminent national leaders, all close associates of the Father of the Nation, were murdered in the supposed security of Dhaka Central Jail.

Over the next few days, the forces of counter-revolution, all loyalists of General Ziaur Rahman and Col Abu Taher, organized themselves on the basis of false and motivated propaganda against Musharraf, who had by then been promoted to the rank of major general and become army chief of staff in succession to Zia. As Musharraf negotiated with Moshtaque on the ways and means through which the latter would quit Bangabhaban and a proper government could be restored, his enemies were disseminating crude propaganda in the cantonment.