The year-round flow of events in the life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

1920

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born on 17 March 1920 in the village of Tungipara in Gopalganj subdivision (now district) of Faridpur district. His father Sheikh Lutfar Rahman and mother Sheikh Sayera Khatun. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the third of 4 daughters and 2 sons. His parents used to call him 'Khoka'.

1928

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started his school life at the age of seven by enrolling in Gimadanga Primary School. At the age of nine, he was admitted in the third class of Gopalganj Public School. He was later admitted to Gopalganj Missionary School. Before becoming fully active in the student movement and politics, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, like ten other teenagers, loved the playground. He had a strong passion for playing football. As a talented footballer, he gained an outstanding reputation in his teens. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was regularly awarded in recognition of his achievements in competitive football games.

1938

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman married Sheikh Fazilatunnesa (Renu) at the age of 16. They were the parents of two daughters Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana and three sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell.

1942

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman passed the matriculation examination from Gopalganj Mission School. In the same year he was admitted to Calcutta Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College). He graduated from this college in 1947.

1943

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected councilor of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League (a branch of the All India Muslim League). He carried out his duties with admiration till the partition of India in 1947.

1947

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected unopposed as the General Secretary of Calcutta Islamia College Students Union. When the infamous Calcutta Killing (communal riots) broke out on 16 August 1947, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman jumped into the fray to maintain communal harmony and peace, risking his life to save the lives of innocent people in both Hindu and Muslim communities.

1947

During the peace mission, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman met Mahatma Gandhi. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hossain joined the movement with Shaheed Suhrawardy for the establishment of an independent, independent Bengal as the third state along with India and Pakistan. Although this initiative was canceled, it later became the basis for building the dream state of a nation's father.

1947

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was admitted to the Law Department of Dhaka University and on 4 January founded the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League, the first opposition student organization in Pakistan. On 23 February, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Khwaja Nazimuddin, stood in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan and declared, "The people of East Pakistan must accept Urdu as their state language." Sheikh Mujibur Rahman immediately protested against the announcement. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started preparations for the movement against the conspiracy of the Muslim League to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan. The 'All-Party State Language Struggle Council' was formed on the proposal of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at a meeting held at Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall on 2 March. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested along with some of his colleagues while protesting in front of the Secretariat on March 11 during a strike demanding state language Bengali. The student community erupted in protest against the arrest of Sheikh Mujib. On March 15, the Muslim League government was forced to release Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other student leaders in the face of continued agitation by the agitated student community.

1949

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman expressed his support for the job security provisions and rights movement of the fourth class employees of Dhaka University. On April 19, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested from the residence of the Vice-Chancellor along with some students while he was preparing to take out a procession on behalf of the fourth class employees. The East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (now Awami League) was formed on 23 June and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected joint secretary while still in prison.

1952

On January 26, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Khwaja Nazimuddin declared, "Urdu will be the only state language of Pakistan." While in prison, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was actively involved in the state language movement and sent important instructions from prison to make the movement a success. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went on a hunger strike inside the jail for 11 consecutive days from 16 February and was released on 26 February. On 21 February the Chhatra Sangram Parishad called a strike to demand that Bengali be made the state language. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Rafiq, Salam, Barkat, Jabbar, Shafiur and many others were martyred in the police firing. In a statement sent from the jail, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman expressed deep grief and respect to the martyrs. In the same year, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman visited China on the occasion of the Peace Conference. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman spoke in Bengali at the peace conference and took the language movement to the global arena.

1953

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected general secretary of the Awami Muslim League and emerged as a Bengali leader.

1954

The first general election in East Pakistan was held on 10 March. The United Front won 223 out of 237 seats. The Awami League alone won 143 seats. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected from the Gopalganj constituency and was sworn in as the Minister of Forests and Agriculture in the new provincial government on 15 May. On May 29, the Central Pakistan government abruptly dissolved the United Front cabinet, enforcing the Indian Independence Act, 1947. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested on 30 May as soon as he entered Dhaka from Karachi. He was released on December 23.

1955

Under the leadership of General Secretary Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the word 'Muslim' was removed from the name of the party to ensure the inclusion and participation of people of all faiths and the name was changed to 'Awami League'. This decision was taken at the council session of the Awami League on 21-23 October 1955. On 6 September Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was re-elected General Secretary of the Awami League.

1956

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman joined the provincial government led by Khan Ataur Rahman as a minister. He was minister for only nine months. As General Secretary of the Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman voluntarily resigned from the Cabinet on 30 May 1956 in order to accelerate the movement for the rights of Bengalis and to further consolidate the organization.

1956

On 13-14 June 1956, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was re-elected General Secretary of the Awami League. From June 24 to July 13, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman paid an official visit to China.

1956

On 7 October, the President of Pakistan, Major General Iskander Mirza, and the Chief of Army Staff, General Ayub Khan, imposed martial law and banned all political activities. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested on 11 October. He was harassed with one false case after another. After 14 months, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released and arrested again at the jail gate.

1971

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from jail after the detention order was declared illegal by the High Court. It was at this time that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set up a secret organization called 'Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad' with enterprising student leaders to work for the freedom struggle of Bangladesh.

1962

Ayub Sarkar re-arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 6 February. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released on 16 June after four years of military rule. On 24 September Sheikh Mujibur Rahman went to Lahore and formed the National Democratic Front with other opposition parties led by Shaheed Suhrawardy.

1984

The Awami League was revived at a special meeting held at Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence No. 32 in Dhanmondi on January 25 in the presence of the district committee president and general secretaries. In this session, the Awami League emerged as an independent party, separate from the National Democratic Front. At the council meeting on March 6-7, a resolution was passed demanding the introduction of a parliamentary system through a vote of the country's adult citizens. At the meeting, Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkbagish and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were elected president and general secretary of the party respectively. On 11 March, a riot prevention committee was formed under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After the riots, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman prepared for a united movement against the then army ruler Ayub Khan. The Combined Opposition Party was formed under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested 14 days before the presidential election.

196

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised a historic six-point demand at the National Conference of Opposition Parties in Lahore on 5 February. The proposed six points were the Charter of Liberation of the Bengali Nation. These six points sowed the seeds of economic and social emancipation for the freedom-loving Bengali nation, hitting the very beginning of Pakistani colonial rule. On 1 March Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected President of the Awami League. He started a mass communication tour all over Bengal with the aim of creating public opinion in favor of the Six Points. He was arrested eight times and last arrested on May 7 and sent to jail. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned for almost three years.

196

On January 3, the Ayub government filed a Agartala conspiracy case against a total of 35 Bengalis (politicians, army, navy, air force, government officials) on charges of treason. He was re-arrested on January 17 while still in jail. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was made the No. 1 accused in the case of secession of Pakistan with the help of India and a total of 35 cases were filed against him. Mass protests began across the country demanding the release of the accused in the Agartala conspiracy case, including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The trial of the Agartala conspiracy case began on June 19 in Dhaka Cantonment amid tight security.

1969

A nationwide student movement started demanding the withdrawal of the Agartala conspiracy case and the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the face of continuous mass agitation, the Ayub government was forced to release all the prisoners in the Agartala conspiracy case, including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on 22 February. The Central Student Struggle Council conferred the title of 'Bangabandhu' on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 23 February at a large student gathering at Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in the presence of millions of students. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman named East Pakistan 'Bangladesh' at a public meeting of the Awami League on the occasion of Suhrawardy's death anniversary on December 5.

1970

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appealed to the people to win the Awami League by voting in the light of six points. He chose the boat symbol for the Awami League. On November 12, a catastrophic cyclone killed hundreds of thousands of people in coastal areas. Bangabandhu postponed his election campaign and rushed to the cyclone-ravaged area. The Awami League won the general election on December 7 with an absolute majority. The Awami League won 16 of the 189 seats in the East Pakistan part of the National Assembly and 298 of the 310 seats in the Provincial Assembly (including 10 reserved seats for women).

1971

On March 1, President Yahya Khan adjourned the National Assembly indefinitely, just two days before it began. As a result of this announcement, Bengali people from all walks of life took to the streets and erupted in protest. The aspiration of the Bengali nation for independence took a new turn. From March 1, Bangabandhu was practically the head of state of Bangladesh. On the one hand, the instructions of President General Yahya would go, on the other hand, the instructions of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would go from house number 32 in Dhanmondi. The people of Bengal followed Bangabandhu's instructions. On March 7, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman thunderously declared from the crowd at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) that 'this time the struggle is for our liberation, this time the struggle is for freedom'. Through this historic speech, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called upon the people to make all preparations for the freedom struggle. In such a tense situation, the President of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan, came to Dhaka and the talks on the issue of transfer of power continued from March 18 to 24, but no fruitful solution was forthcoming. On the night of March 25, the Pak aggressors carried out one of the most heinous massacres of innocent unarmed Bengalis. In the early hours of March 26, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh. Shortly after the declaration of independence, the Pakistani military junta arrested Bangabandhu and took him to Pakistan. On 10 April the first government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was formed and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was elected President by the Constituent Assembly. In the absence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Syed Nazrul Islam was elected interim President and Tajuddin Ahmed Prime Minister. The swearing in of the Government of Bangladesh was held on 17 April at Amrakan (now Mujibnagar) at Vaidyanathtala in Meherpur. After nine months of bloody struggle, Bangladesh gained independence on 16 December 1971 through the surrender of the Pakistani occupying forces. Between August and September, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was sentenced to death in a secret trial in a Pakistani jail. In response, freedom-loving people of different countries and the world demanded the security of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On 26 December, the Bangladesh government demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

1962

On 8 January, under international pressure, the Pakistani government was forced to release Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On the same day he left for London for Dhaka. And while staying at a hotel in London, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman confronted the world media at a crowded press conference. On 9 January Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman met the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Edward Heath. He stayed in New Delhi for some time before returning to Dhaka. President of India VV Giri and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave a warm welcome to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the airport. On 10 January Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was released from prison in Pakistan and returned to the bosom of independent Bangladesh. On that day, the Bengali nation gave an unforgettable reception to its best child. After graduating from the heart-wrenching love of millions of people, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came directly to the racecourse ground from the airport and addressed the nation with tears in his eyes. On 12 January Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took over as the Prime Minister with the aim of rebuilding war-torn Bangladesh. In just three and a half years of rule, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman laid the foundation of the new Bangladesh on a solid foundation. Rehabilitation of one crore Bengali refugees, repatriation of Indian Armed Forces within three months of independence, drafting of constitution for new state within ten months, recognition from more than one hundred states, membership of various important international organizations including UN, NAM, OIC, International Crimes Tribunal Etc. was a significant achievement of the government of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

1983

In the light of the newly enacted constitution, the Awami League led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won 293 out of 300 seats in the first general election of independent Bangladesh on 7 March and formed the government. On 23 May, the World Peace Council awarded Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the "Julio Curie" Award in recognition of his contribution to world peace. On 6 September Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman left for Algeria to attend the Alliance Neutrality Conference. Bilateral talks of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were held with world leaders in Algeria.

1984

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman addressed the 29th General Assembly of the United Nations on 24 September in Bengal for the first time. Just seven days earlier, on September 17, Bangladesh became the 138th country to become a member of the United Nations with the full support of the world.

1985

On the morning of 15 August, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the best Bengali of the millennium, the architect of Bangladesh, the father of the Bengali nation, was killed in a domestic and foreign conspiracy at his residence by his family at the hands of some misguided and ambitious treacherous army officers. Fortunately, two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, survived as they stayed abroad. August 15, 1975 was the darkest day in the history of the Bengali nation. The Bengali nation celebrates this day as the National Day of Mourning and at the same time remembers the great man with a big heart who will live forever in the heart of the Bengali nation through his courage, bravery and ideals.