New Delhi: In an official statement Tuesday, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged the nation to observe mourning on 15 August to mark the assassination of her father and Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She also acknowledged that “lives were lost” in last month’s “terror”.
Hasina was ousted after weeks-long student protests which claimed the lives of over 300 people in the country. The official statement was issued on her behalf by her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
Joy currently lives in the US, while Hasina continues to take refuge in India following her ouster.
ThePrint looks at the five highlights from the statement.
‘Observe 15 August as day of mourning’
“I appeal to you to observe the National Mourning Day on 15 August with due dignity and solemnity. Pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying at Bangabandhu Bhaban,” the statement read.
This comes just hours after the new interim government in Bangladesh, led by Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus, scrapped 15 August as a day of mourning. The decision to cancel the national holiday was taken “unanimously” after a discussion with the council of advisors and political parties, read a statement from the Chief Advisor’s office.
On 15 August, 1975, Hasina and her sister, Rehana, were the only surviving members of the family following the assassination of her father ‘Bongobondhu’ —the country’s first president and a revolutionary who helped pave the way for Bangladesh’s independence. The anniversary of his assassination also happens to fall on India’s Independence Day.
‘Lives lost in terror and violence’
In her statement, Hasina acknowledged the large number of deaths that took place during weeks-long protests in Bangladesh that eventually led to her ouster. She also described the violence as “terrorism”.
“Since last July, many lives have been lost due to fire, terror and violence. Students, teachers, police, journalists, civil servants, working people, Awami League and associate organisations, are mourning those who died of terrorist aggression and wishing their souls to the victims of terrorist aggression,” she said.
‘I call for a thorough investigation’
The former PM also called for a probe into the violence.
“I offer my sympathy to those who, like me, are grieving the loss of loved ones. I call for a thorough investigation into these acts of murder and terrorism,” the statement said.
Condemning the desecration of Bongobondhu monuments
The violence in Bangladesh was characterised by the desecration of several sites erected in honour of the country’s founding father and his legacy. Last Monday, protestors were seen using an axe to hit a large statue of Rahman in Dhaka, while others urinated on the head of the statue.
Hasina condemned these acts in her statement. “The Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under whose leadership we became an independent nation…has been grossly insulted. They insulted the blood of millions of martyrs,” she said.
Recalling horrors of 1975
In her statement, Hasina recalled the assassination of her father and seven other family members.
“My mother Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, my three brothers, Freedom Fighter Captain Sheikh Kamal, Freedom Fighter Lieutenant Sheikh Jamal, and Sheikh Kamal and Jamal’s newlywed wives, Sultana Kamal and Rosi Jamal, were also mercilessly killed. My younger brother, who was only 10 years old, was murdered as well,” the statement read.
After the assassination of her father, Hasina and her sister had sought help from India where she and her children took refuge for a few years. At the time of the brutal attack, she was in Germany with her husband and Rehana.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)