Amid the Covid 19 pandemic, the month of mourning in Bangladesh started on Sunday as August is a reminder of the gruesome murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with several members. On the night of August 15, 1975, Rahman and 16 members of his family were brutally killed.

Two of his daughters – Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana who were in Germany at that time were saved.

According to the Daily Star, the month of August is also marked with another conspiracy of assassination. “The nation cannot ever forget the heinous attempt to kill Hasina through grenade attacks,” it said in a report.

According to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report carried by the Daily Star, at the dawn on August 15, the national flag and party flag will be kept at half-mast and black flag will be hoisted at the Bangabandhu Bhaban, Awami League (AL) headquarters in the capital and all other offices of the party across the country. Besides, tributes too would be paid to Rahman.

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“Like in the previous years, different political and socio-cultural organisations, including ruling Awami League and its associate bodies, have chalked out month-long programmes to observe the month of mourning that will begin from today,” However, the affair will be a muted one this year due to Covid related restrictions.

This year is special for Bangladesh for several reasons. It marked 50 years of the country’s independence.

This year, May 17 also marked 40 years of Hasina’s homecoming after being in exile for about five years. After Rahman murder, Hasina was provided diplomatic asylum in India.  She returned to Bangladesh via Kolkata only in 1981 by an Indian Airlines aircraft. Awami League had elected her as president in February 1981 despite her absence.

The South Asian country under Hasina has become one of the major economic powers in the region.

Hasina, who has steered her country into becoming a developing nation—Bangladesh is gearing up to graduate out of the least developed country list, promised to build a “Golden Bangladesh.”