Extracts from editorials in 1993, ’94 and ’95 on Bangabandhu's murder

The Daily Star since its inception has been condemning the murder of Bangabandhu and advocated for the recognition of his rightful place in history. It also demanded the repeal of the infamous Indemnity Bill. Since 1993, we had taken the editorial position that August 15 should be declared as the National Mourning Day and be observed officially as such. This position The Daily Star took when BNP was in power, as a continuum of the regimes of Gen. Ziaur Rahman, Gen. Ershad and that of Khaleda Zia. Ours was a bold and principled position against the political current of the day.  

1993: Homage to Bangabandhu

For any people, mourning the assassination of the Founder of the State is a highly emotional and tragic experience. This is so with the death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. ... This newspaper joins the nation in saluting the memory of a leader without whose contribution to our political process, there would have been no Bangladesh. ...

To put the Sheikh Mujib’s legacy in the correct historical perspective and to evaluate the process that produced him involve a non-partisan approach that, to varying degrees, must indeed be shared by all political parties, especially the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the opposition Awami League (AL). ...

Once we adopt a non-partisan approach, we should have no problem in acknowledging the place of Bangabandhu in our history. This acknowledgement should find a tangible expression. Here, our plea is, let us honour the Founder of the State by declaring this day, every year, as National Mourning Day. Thus, we may be able to turn what some circles want to treat as a divisive factor into one that unites the nation.

1994: The Black Night

In the dead of night, like so many cowards, a splinter group from our armed forces killed the Founder of the State of Bangladesh, along with all the members of his family except Sheikh Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, on this very day, some 19 years ago. The nation's head hung in shame. It shocked us to discover that there were some among us who could have perpetrated this vicious act against a man to whom we owe so much. It took us some years to start speaking out boldly against what happened on that dark night. Last year, ... this paper decided to editorially endorse the demand that this day be declared as National Mourning Day. To the best of our knowledge, we were the only one to do so. This year also we raise the same demand and urge upon the government of Khaleda Zia to so declare, and give the honour and respect that is due to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Founder of the State of Bangladesh. This we urge upon this democratic government, not as a favour to the memory of that great leader, nor as a concession to the largest opposition party, but more as an act of clearing our conscience for having done so little, for so long, for the man but for whom, who knows where our independence struggle would have been.

... we must rise above all partisan politics, in condemning what is obviously an act against the most fundamental of all rights—Right to Life. Have we become so blunted in our sensibilities, so utterly partisan in our view of events, so perverted in our sense of right and wrong, so oblivious of truth and falsehood, so indifferent to lawful and unlawful acts, that we cannot call the killing of Sheikh Mujib to be nothing more than a murder, and hunt down these murderers, and as any murderer should be. The indemnity ordinance that prevents us from prosecuting the well-known killers of Bangabandhu is a travesty of the legal system. It stands as an epitome of the success of brute force and of those who believe that the “source of all power lies in the barrel of the gun”. It shows that no one can be as brutal, as murderous, as illegal and as violent as is necessary to achieve one's goal—the only thing to ensure is to be successful in capturing political power. For, once that is done, it can then be done to legitimise anything, including the universally recognised crime of murder—in fact mass murder at that. ...

As we had stated last year, we think that August 15 should be declared as National Mourning Day, and that it should be observed at the state and government level with due solemnity and respect. Time has come to work towards reconciliation and reduce the issues that divide us. The respect and love that Bangabandhu enjoys among the people of Bangladesh can become a uniting factor for us. It must be understood that Sheikh Mujib is no longer a partisan figure but a national one. He belongs to history and to no one group. And it is in that spirit that the first democratic government, after the fall of autocracy, should honour the man who led us in our struggle for independence, and helped us to get a country for ourselves.

1995: National Mourning Day

Today is the 15th of August. It is a day particularly resplendent for what it represents to the peoples of the subcontinent. The end of British colonialism.

Yet for the people of Bangladesh, this is a black day, blacker than any we have known so far, and perhaps will ever know. In an act of insufferable treachery and perfidy, cutting at and throwing to the four winds all norms of civilisation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed with his whole family barring two. ...

There is but one way to free the nation from bearing this impossible burden of shame. Quash that infamous indemnity provision in the constitution. And declare August 15 as the day of National Mourning. We have been demanding this for two years now, but in vain. In the meantime this demand is growing into a truly national one. ...