Remembering the Fallen: Bangladesh's Silent Mourning

Bangladesh marked the low-key anniversary of the 1971 Liberation War leaders' assassination in 1975. The tragic event followed the coup against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Political tensions restrict public memorials. The banned Awami League tries to keep their legacy alive amidst continued persecution.

On Monday, Bangladesh solemnly observed a subdued anniversary of the assassination of four key architects of the 1971 Liberation War, slain within a high-security prison in 1975. War-time Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam, Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad, and senior ministers Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman were victims of a coup by rebel army soldiers.

This group of army majors, who had already assassinated the country's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a coup on August 15, 1975, executed the four leaders three months later as they held them captive in a bid to dismantle the Awami League-led government structure that emerged from the war for independence.

Political instability has stifled any organized public remembrance. Newspapers highlighted the event, which could not be publicly commemorated due to the current political climate. The dismantling of the Awami League by the interim government under an anti-terrorism law, and the subsequent persecution of its leaders, continues to impact the political landscape.

(With inputs from agencies.)