Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Part of August 1975 Bangladesh military coup
The staircase in Bangabandhu House, Dhaka (now demolished), where Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was assassinated at 6:00 AM on 15 August 1975
LocationDhanmondi 32, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Date15 August 1975 (1975-08-15)
06:00 (BST)
TargetSheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family
Attack type
Assassination, murder by Gun violence
Weapon
Deaths47+ (including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman)
Injured48+ (mostly civilians)
Perpetrators24 (including Khondaker Mostaq, Taheruddin Thakur and Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman)
AssailantsAn est. dozen junior officer of the army and soldiers from 1st Bengal Lancers and 2nd Field Artillery Regiment
AccusedMostaq, Mahbub and several others (granted immunity)
Taheruddin, Joardar, Hashem, Nazmul and Sharful (acquitted on appeal)
ChargesConspiracy, murder, concealing evidence
SentenceFarooq, Rashid, Noor, Huda, Rashed, Pasha, Shahriar, Mohiuddin, A. K. M. Mohiuddin, Dalim, Majed and Moslemuddin: Death by hanging

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh, was assassinated along with most of his family members during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his residence as part of a coup d'état. The minister of commerce, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, immediately took control and proclaimed himself head of an interim government from 15 August to 6 November 1975; he was in turn succeeded by Chief Justice Abu Sayem. The assassination marked the first direct military intervention in Bangladesh's civilian administration. 15 August as National Mourning Day was nationally observed under the Sheikh Hasina government.