Bangladesh Interim Government Scraps August 15 Holiday Honoring Founding Father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

The Bangladesh interim government on Tuesday, announced the cancellation of the public holiday on August 15, which traditionally marks the death of the nation’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The interim government’s advisory council made the decision public. Muhammad Yunus met with several political parties—excluding the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami—who expressed mixed reactions to the holiday’s cancellation.

Bangladesh has long observed August 15 as National Day of Mourning in memory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated on that date in 1975.

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“Cancelling the general holiday of August 15 announced on the occasion of National Mourning Day was approved in the meeting of the advisory council today, based on broad consensus in the dialogue of the political parties with the advisory council,” Bangladeshi news outlet Prothom Alo said in a report.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh and daughter of Mujibur Rahman, issued a statement calling for an investigation into the deaths that occurred during the recent quota protests.

This statement, made on Tuesday, marked Hasina’s first public comment since her resignation.

She also encouraged people to pay tribute at Dhanmondi 22, known as the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, to honor the late leader.

“I appeal to you to observe the National Day of Mourning on 15th August with due dignity and solemnity. Pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying at Bangabandhu Bhavan,” she said in her statement released through the account of her son Sajeeb Wazed.

She urged her supporters to “pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying” at her childhood home in Dhaka.

The site, which had been a museum dedicated to her father, was recently torched and vandalized by a mob just hours after she was ousted.

Additionally, she called for an investigation into the killings and other crimes committed during the unrest that led to her removal from office, insisting that those responsible be “identified and punished.”

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