Call to Observe Bangabandhu’s 51st Martyrdom Anniversary with Due Respect

❐ Staff Reporter

The Professional Human Rights Council has called on the countrymen to observe the 51st martyrdom anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with due dignity and solemnity.

In a joint statement today, Friday, the organization’s convener Dr. Jamal Uddin Chowdhury, co-convener Professor Dr. M. Ahiduzzaman and member secretary, agriculturist Mizanur Rahman made the call.

The statement said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman prepared the Bengali nation for independence through a step-by-step movement against the exploitation and oppression of the Pakistani regime. He spent almost 14 years of his life in prison while agitating for the rights of Bengalis.

Noting that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was one of the main inspirations of the freedom fighters during the Liberation War, the statement said that Bangladesh was established as an independent and sovereign state in exchange for the sacrifice of 3 million martyrs and the loss of honor of countless women through the Liberation War of 1971.

The statement further said that after his acquittal in the Agartala conspiracy case in 1969, the Bengali nation bestowed the title of ‘Bangabandhu’ on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Later, after his release from a Pakistani prison and return to the country on January 10, 1972, he was called the ‘Father of the Nation’.

The statement also mentioned that during Bangabandhu’s three-and-a-half-year rule, initiatives were taken to improve the economic condition of war-torn Bangladesh and elevate the country to the status of a least developed country.

The Professional Human Rights Council has described the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975, as a ‘gross violation of human rights’. The statement expressed deep respect for the souls of Bangabandhu and his family members, as well as others who were killed in the incident.

The statement called for moving forward by upholding Bangabandhu’s ideals to change the destiny of the country’s people, establish democracy, and build a peaceful Bangladesh free from oppression and torture, and said that his 51st martyrdom anniversary should be observed with due dignity and solemnity.

The statement was sent to the media by Sheikh Jamal, joint convener of the Professional Human Rights Council.