Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman(1920-1975) Father of the Nation and the first President of Bangladesh (26 March 1971 to 11 January 1972). Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born on 17 March 1920 in Tungipara village of Gopalganj sub-division of Faridpur district. His father Sheikh Lutfar Rahman was the custodian of the Civil Court of Gopalganj. Mujib was the third among six brothers and sisters. He got primary education in the local Gimadanga school. His primary education was interrupted for four years due to eye problems. He matriculated from Gopalganj Missionary School in 1942, passed IA from Calcutta Islamia College in 1944 and passed BA in 1947 from the same college.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
From the days of school, the qualities of leadership in Mujib were developed. When he was a student of Gopalganj Missionary School, Bengal Chief Minister AK Fazlul Huq visited the school once (1939). It is heard that young Mujib organized the protest to attract the attention of the Chief Minister towards the backward conditions of the region. After passing the matriculation, Mujib went to Calcutta and went to Islamia College. From there he passed the IA and BA. In 1946, he was elected the General Secretary of Islamia College Students Union. He is an active worker of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League and was a member of the All India Muslim League Council since 1943. He was in politics. Su Suhrawardy is a devoted follower. In the general elections of 1946, the Muslim League assumed the responsibility of campaigning for party candidates in the Faridpur district of Sheikh Mujib.

After the partition of India (1947), he was admitted to the University of Dhaka for law studies. But could not finish the study. Because he was expelled from the University early in 1949 for accusations of his protest against the university authorities' indifference to the fair demands of the fourth-class employees.

In 1948, Sheikh Mujib was one of the main organizers in East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League. In fact, while being detained in jail, Sheikh Mujib's active political career started with being elected one of the three positions of the newly formed East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (1949) joint secretary. The other two joint secretaries were Khondoker Moshtaq Ahmed and AK Rafiqul Hossain. In 1953, Sheikh Mujib was elected general secretary of East Pakistan Awami Muslim League and remained in office until 1966. In 1966, he became the president of the party. To give a secular character to the party, in 1955, the word 'Muslim' was omitted from the party's name. After 1947, the reflection of his secular view of politics was reflected in that.

In the cabinet of Chief Minister Ataur Rahman Khan (1956-58) for only nine months, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman resigned from cabinet for full devotion to Awami League's organizational work. In the year 1964, under the rule of General Ayub Khan, Sheikh Mujib had shown the courage to revive the Awami League, although his political guru Suhrawardy was in favor of working on a political frontal banner named National Democratic Front for the restitution of constitutional regime in Pakistan to ban political parties. Mujib's disillusionment with Pakistan's idea was already on. As the Pakistan's second Constituent Assembly and member of the Legislative Assembly (1955-1956) and later the member of the National Assembly (1956-1958), he assumed that there was no feeling of equality and sovereignty among the leaders of West Pakistan towards East Pakistan.




Sheikh Mujib was one of the first prisoners of language movement (11 March 1948). On 21 September 1955, his speech on the issue of Bengali language in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly was remarkable. Claiming the right to speak in the mother language, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said,

'We want to talk here in Bengal. It does not matter if we do not know any other language. If we think we can express the sentiments in Bengali, we can always speak in English despite being able to speak in English. If we are not allowed to speak in Bangla, then we will go out of the council. But the council has to speak in Bengali. That's our claim. '

In another speech given by the Constituent Assembly on August 25, 1955, Sheikh Mujib also spoke in the protest against the change of name of East Bengal to East Pakistan: It is equally relevant:

'Sir, you have noticed that they want to establish' East Pakistan 'in place of East Bengal. We have repeatedly demanded that your East [Vanga] be used instead of [East] Pakistan. The word 'banga' has a history, a tradition of its own ... '.

In the early twentieth century, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became prominent in politics. With the extraordinary organizational skills, Sheikh Mujib was able to stop the Awami League from interdisciplinary politics and prevent the evacuation of some factions from the main stream of the party. Agitated Awakening organizer Sheikh Mujib could establish full authority over the party. In 1966, he announced his famous 6-point program and called these six stanzas as 'our (Bengali) freedom certificate'. The points are: 1. The formation of the federal government on the basis of federal state structure and universal adult franchise; 2. All other matters except defense and foreign affairs entrusted to the federating units or provincial governments; 3. To initiate separate currency for two states or to take effective measures to prevent capital trafficking from East Pakistan to West Pakistan; 4. All the powers of taxation to be entrusted to the federating states; 5. Provide freedom to the countries in international trade; 6. Giving powers to the states to build militia or semi-military forces for their safety. In short, through this program, his new view of politics was unveiled. In fact, the six-point program meant that there was virtually the independence for East Pakistan. Although conservative members of all political parties see this program in panic, it also creates new awakening among young generation, especially students, youth and working people.

Ayub's government imprisoned him after he challenged the six-point program by Mujib. A sedition case was filed against the Sheikh Mujib and more than thirty-four people in the Agartala conspiracy case. This case was officially named as 'State vs Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and others'. Most of the accused in the case were Pakistan Air Force and Navy Bengalese officers and employees. Three of them were senior Bengali civilians. Mujib was already arrested as he was imprisoned as the number one criminal. In this case, Sheikh Mujib was charged that he was involved in conspiracy against the state of Pakistan in collusion with other accused. According to the complaint, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other defendants were planning secret plans to forcibly detach East Pakistan. It was a boomerang that hit the counter. The case was under trial in a special tribunal in Dhaka Kurmitola Cantonment, which strongly influenced the feelings of the Bengalis against the supremacy of Pakistan towards East Pakistan. During the trial of the Agartala conspiracy case Mujib's form of public opinion also developed and the whole nation stood against the trial of their leader. In the early part of 1969, mass movements organized by the young generation, especially at a point of time, reached the point that Ayur regime withdrew the case in an effort to avoid a civil war in the country. Sheikh Mujib was released unconditionally on 22 February 1969.

On the day of the liberation of Sheikh Mujib, the All-party student wing council organized a mass reception in Ramna Racecourse (present Suhrawardy Udyan) in honor of Sheikh Mujib. The All-Party Student Crusade Council is proven to be the most effective political and social force to force the government to give unconditional release to Sheikh Mujib. On behalf of the Sangram Parishad, Council President Tofail Ahmed gave Sheikh Mujib the title of 'Bangabandhu'. In Mujib, they saw the reflection of a sacrificial leader who spent nearly twelve years in jail for 23 years in Pakistani rule. For twelve years in prison and under ten years of strict surveillance, Sheikh Mujib seemed to think that Pakistan was rather a prison instead of an independent homeland.

Through the first general elections of Pakistan held in December 1970, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman emerged as the only spokesman for the people of East Pakistan. Under his leadership, the Awami League won 167 seats (including seven seats reserved for women) in 169 seats allocated for East Pakistan in the Pakistan National Assembly. The people of your country gave him a remarkable mandate in favor of the Sixth Doctrine. The responsibility of implementation of the six points is to him. On 3 January 1971 Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman arranged a grand event in Ramna Racecourse in the presence of all the representatives of East Pakistan and took oath that at the time of forming Pakistan's constitution, they would never deviate from the sixth.

In this situation, the military junta of General Yahya and the elected leader of West Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto engaged in conspiracy to stop Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from forming a government in the center. On January 1, 1971, President Yahya Khan unilaterally suspended the session of the National Assembly which was held in Dhaka on March 3. As a result of this announcement the fire of agitated protests in East Pakistan was set on fire. In view of this, Bangabandhu called for the All-India Non-Cooperation Movement in East Pakistan. The entire province supports him. During the non-cooperation movement (2-25 March 1971) the entire civil administration of East Pakistan came under his control and followed his direction. He became the chief of the provincial government in practice. London's Evening Standard newspaper said: "Sheikh Mujib, being fully supportive of the people, is in control of East Pakistan. (Mujibur) Rahman's house in Dhanmondi, which has already been identified as 10 Downing Street, in imitation of the British Prime Minister's residence, is now banned by the bureaucrats, politicians, bankers, industrialists and people of all walks of life. "(12 March 1971)

On 7 March 1971, Mujib gave his historic address to the huge gathering of millions of people in the Race Course ground, which will be marked as a period of time in the history of the Bengali nation. In his speech, Mujib made specific allegations against the military authorities failing to transfer power to the elected representatives. At the end of the speech, Mujib declared: "Build houses in every house. You have to face the enemy with whatever you have ... Remember, when I gave blood, give blood, I will release the people of this country. Inshallah ... This struggle is our struggle for freedom, this struggle is the struggle for independence.

Meanwhile, President Yahya Khan and other leaders of West Pakistan came to Dhaka on March 15 to begin talks with Bangabandhu and his party. The discussion begins from the next day, which will be held sometime on the morning of March 25, including interruptions. During this time non-cooperation movement and continuous strike in East Pakistan was going on. Since March 2, students and leaders of different political parties are declaring independence and this trend continues. In this background, the Pakistan army killed the students and teachers and innocent people in different places including Dhaka University on the night of March 25 under the name of Operation Searchlight. In this way the Pakistani occupation forces continued massacre for nine months. Sheikh Mujib was arrested on 25 March night and detained in Dhaka Cantonment and was taken to West Pakistan for trial on charges of sedition and sedition. Before the arrest, Bangabandhu declared independence of Bangladesh and sent a wireless message to Chittagong through the EPR transmitter for broadcast. His declaration is as follows:

This may be my last message, from today Bangladesh is independent. I call upon the people of Bangladesh wherever you might be and whatever you have, to resist the army of occupation to the last. Your fight must go on until the last soldier of the Pakistan occupation army is expelled from the soil of Bangladesh and final victory is achieved.

 Though Bangabandhu was captured in the hands of the Pakistanis at the time of the liberation war which started on March 25, he was made the President of the temporary government called Mujibnagar Government in his absence. In order to lead the liberation war, the representatives of the public formed the government on April 10, 1971. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sheikh Mujib's unique image in the entire chapter of the War of Liberation works as the inspiration of the freedom fighters and the source of national unity and energy.

When the Pakistani junta judges Bangabandhu and executes the death penalty, the world leaders are encouraged to save his life. After the independence of Bangladesh from the occupation of Pakistan on December 16, 1971, Sheikh Mujib was released from the Pakistani prison and on 10 January 1972, he was made the winner of London as a winner. The flood of joy and ecstasy spread throughout the country. Millions of people from all walks of life received heroic reception at Tejgaon Old Airport. The uncertainty surrounding the leadership of the new republic and the uncertainty about the future of Bangladesh in which the black cloud grew, was replaced by the return of his homeland. In the editorial of the Daily Guardian newspaper of London on January 10, 1972, it was said: "Only the new republic gets a very strong reality at the Sheikh Mujib International Airport."

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had given brief time to the first three and a half years of the first government in Bangladesh. Starting from zero, his government had to face countless problems in a war-crashed country. In all the important areas under the leadership of Bangabandhu, state and nation building programs were started. Restoring law and order, recovering illegal weapons, rehabilitating the freedom fighters, reconstruction of the communication system, protecting the people from the liberation war, and being the most important, collecting food for millions of hungry people and solving many more problems became a huge challenge before his government.


Despite all these problems, Sheikh Mujib has never hesitated to form a new constitution, and he completes that task within ten months. The return of Indian Allies was confirmed within three months of independence. General elections were held within fifteen months (7 March 1973). One hundred and forty countries recognize Bangladesh. Bangabandhu defines the guidance of foreign policy of Bangladesh: 'friendship with everyone and not hatred towards anyone'. In fact, the Mujib government initiated basic state institutions in all important areas. In spite of all these achievements, there are mainly opposition from the leftist left, who hold the war of independence as an 'incomplete revolution'. As a result, a very delicate situation was created in the country. Law and order situation quickly deteriorated and people were frustrated. Overall, famine (1974) occurs in the country and thousands of people die. Sheikh Mujib initially formed a special security force named Rakshabahini and tried to address the situation. By taking refuge in his image, he then established one-party rule in the name of BAKSAL and undermined the basic rights guaranteed in the constitution. Consequently, Sheikh Mujib became a bit disenchanted and became the target of criticism of all the masses. With the help of such an unstable situation, a group of angry people killed all of them on August 15, 1975 and the other family members who were staying in his house.