Dhaka: The nation is observing the National Mourning Day on Wednesday with due reverence and solemnity, marking the 43rd anniversary of assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the architect of the country’s independence — was assassinated along with most of his family members at the crack of dawn on August 15, 1975 by a cabal of army personnel under a deep-rooted conspiracy against the country and its independence, reports the UNB.

His two daughters — Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, and Sheikh Rehana — luckily survived the massacre as they were abroad at that time.

Eighteen members of the family along with Bangabandhu’s wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, three sons — Captain Sheikh Kamal, Lt Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell—, two daughters-in-law — Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal —, brother Sheikh Naser, peasant leader Abdur Rob Serniabat, youth leader Sheikh Fazlul Haq Moni and his wife Arzu Moni, Baby Serniabat, Sukanta Babu, Arif and Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu were killed on the fateful night.

Bangabandhu’s Military Secretary Col Jamil Uddin Ahmad (Bir Uttam), who was later promoted posthumously to the rank of Brigadier General, was also killed during the massacre. Some members of a family at Mohammadpur in the capital were killed by artillery shells fired by the killers on the same day.

The day is a public holiday.

The government, different socio-cultural, political and professional organisations, including ruling Awami League and its associate bodies, have chalked out various programmes to mark the day.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to Bangabandhu at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi Road-32 in the morning.

Thousands of people poured into road no. 32 in Dhanmondi early Wednesday to place wreaths at the mural of Bangabandhu.

The national flag was kept half-mast at government, autonomous, semi-autonomous, educational institutions, private buildings and Bangladesh missions in abroad.

Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages commemorating the National Mourning Day.

In his message, the President said this barbarous occurrence was rare not only in the history of Bangladesh but also in the history of the world.

‘The country is now free of disgrace through the trial of the tragic killing of August 15. The verdict of fugitive killers will soon come into force - this is the expectation of the countrymen on the National Mourning Day,’ he said urging all to follow the path shown by the Father of the Nation and devote themselves to turn the country into a ‘Golden Bangla’.

In her message, the Prime Minister said, ‘Under the dynamic, courageous and charismatic leadership of the Father of the Nation, the people of this territory brought the reddish sun of the independence breaking the shackles of subjugation of thousands of years. The Bangalees got their own nation-state, flag and national anthem.’

But Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed at a time when he had undertaken an arduous task of building a ‘Golden Bangladesh’ reconstructing the war-ravaged country and unifying the whole nation, she said.

The killers were able to assassinate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but they could not erase his dreams and ideals, the Prime Minister said urging all to turn the grief of the loss of Bangabandhu into strength, build a non-communal, hunger-illiteracy-free, and happy, prosperous Bangladesh and establish ‘Golden Bangladesh’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.