Dhaka, August 15 – Bangladesh marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of its founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under heavy restrictions, as the army-backed interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus continued to bar public commemorations of the nation’s Father of the Nation.
Mujib, who was gunned down along with most of his family on August 15, 1975, had for decades been remembered with state honors. But since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, his memory has become a flashpoint in the country’s deep political crisis.
Security blockade in Dhaka and Tungipara
On Friday, police and paramilitary forces erected barricades at Dhanmondi 32, Mujib’s historic residence where he was slain, and at his mausoleum in Tungipara, Gopalganj. Witnesses told reporters that mourners carrying flowers were harassed, turned back, or assaulted by members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its student wing Chhatra Dal, who joined security personnel in blocking access.
One rickshaw puller and several women attempting to lay floral tributes were slapped, beaten, or forcibly removed. “I bought flowers with my hard-earned money just to honor Bangabandhu. I am not even a political activist,” said Azizur Rahman, a rickshaw driver who said he was attacked by BNP activists.
A woman identifying herself as an Awami League supporter was filmed being dragged away. “Yes, I am an Awami League member. I am a soldier of Sheikh Mujib. Is that a crime?” she asked before police bundled her into a rickshaw.
Nationwide crackdown on remembrance
Across the country, commemorations were muted. Security forces in Gopalganj reportedly doubled deployment from Thursday, shutting down flower markets and covering plaques bearing Mujib’s name. Witnesses said even non-partisan citizens were interrogated or barred from approaching the mausoleum.
The government’s press secretary reiterated earlier this week that “August 15 is like any other day of the month,” warning that gatherings to commemorate Mujib would be treated as unlawful.
This marks the second year in a row that the interim administration has blocked public remembrance after scrapping the day’s status as National Mourning Day and canceling its holiday designation last year.
Social media turns Mujib-centric
With physical tributes suppressed, remembrance shifted online. From August 14, Facebook profiles across Bangladesh turned black or carried Mujib’s portrait. Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Z.I. Khan Panna urged citizens to mark the day digitally by posting tributes, changing profile pictures, and wearing black badges.
Videos circulated of mourners being harassed at Dhanmondi, sparking condemnation. One clip showed a middle-aged woman sobbing: “I came to lay flowers. They threw them away. Am I leading a procession?”
Hasina and exiled Awami League speak out
Exiled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina released a statement from abroad, saying: “For fifty years, the enemies of independence have tried to erase my father’s legacy. But the people of Bangladesh will never forget who gave them this country.”
Her son Sajib Wazed Joy wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Today, on the 50th anniversary of Bangabandhu’s martyrdom, Bangladeshis are being denied the right to mourn. Yet the nation remembers, and the world remembers.”
Awami League leaders in exile condemned the “state-backed desecration of history” and called for international attention.
Rights groups have also warned that the clampdown reflects a wider erosion of freedoms under the Yunus government, which rights monitors accuse of targeting Hasina’s supporters, silencing dissent, and enabling violence against minorities.
