DHAKA, Oct 18, 2019 (BSS) – The 56th birthday of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was observed today in a befitting manner across the country.
The birthday programmes included milad and doa mahfils, discussions, cultural functions, processions, drawing competitions and distribution of foods among the destitute people.
Marking the day, Awami League (AL) and different socio-cultural organizations paid glowing homage to Sheikh Russel by placing wreaths at his grave at Banani graveyard here.
Awami League placed wreath at the grave of Sheikh Russel at 8am. The party also laid wreaths at the graves of other victims of the August 15, 1975 carnage at that time.
AL Presidium Member Begum Matia Chowdhury, its General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Joint General Secretaries Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Information Minister and AL’s Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim, AL’s Organizing Secretary Ahmad Hossain, Office Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap and Central Committee Member SM Kamal Hossain were present on the occasion, among others.
After placing wreaths, Obaidul Quader said the assassination of Sheikh Russel is one of the dreadful crimes in the history of human civilization.
“Women and children were not targeted at any political killing in the history of civilisation…but women and children have fallen prey to political killing in Bangladesh,” he said.
The AL general secretary said in choked voices, even, 10-year-old Russel could not escape the political killing as he along with most of the family members, including his father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was brutally killed on August 15, 1975.
Later, Dhaka City South and North units of AL, Awami Juba League, Awami Swechchhasebak League, Tanti League, Sramik League, Bangladesh Chhatra League, Mahila Awami League, Mahila Sramik League, Krishak League and different social and cultural organizations paid tributes to Russel and other martyrs by placing wreaths at the graveyard.
Later, a milad and doa mahfil was held at Banani graveyard mosque for the martyrs of the August 15 massacre. Leaders of AL and its associate bodies joined the doa mahfil.
Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad arranged drawing, chess and cultural competitions and prize distribution ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the function as the chief guest.
Sampriti Bangladesh, a citizens’ platform promoting secularism, arranged a discussion at Jatiya Press Club here.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal addressed the function as the chief guest with Sampriti Bangladesh convener Pijush Bandyopadhyay in the chair.
Moderated by Sampriti Bangladesh Member Secretary Mamun Al Mahtab Swapnil, the discussion was addressed by Justice Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, Major General Mohammad Ali Shikder (retd), Rabindra University Vice-Chancellor Dr Bishwajeet Ghosh, Islamic University, Kushtia Vice-Chancellor Dr Harun-or-Rashid Askari, Dr Nuzhat Chowdhury and columnist Reza Selim, among others.
Bangabandhu Diploma Engineers’ Council also arranged a discussion at IDEB Bhaban at Kakrail here.
Russel, the youngest brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was born on October 18 in 1964 at “Bangabandhu Bhaban”, the historical residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, located at Road 32, Dhanmondi in the capital.
He was a class-four student of University Laboratory School when he along with his most family members, including Bangabandhu, was killed by a group of disgruntled army men on August 15, 1975.