The assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with his family members in 1975 plunged the country into a series of disasters, speakers said in a webinar. The political landscape witnessed a complete U-turn after August, 1975 with all out attempts were employed to destroy the spirit of the Liberation War - secularism and progressive ideologies, they said. “The brutality of the August 15 killings shocked the world and devastated the nation’s psyche. It is the beginning of the darkest period in Bangladesh history with a military government taking over and murder of four national leaders in jail, coups and counter coups and ultimately the rehabilitation of August 15 killers through a special ordinance,” said Prof Shams Rahman of Australia’s RMIT university. Also read: Bangabandhu Foundation pays homage to ‘Father of Nation’ at Tungipara BNP’s founder Gen Ziaur Rahman was a key figure behind those spell of disasters descended on the country in the aftermath of that grisly killing, academics told at a discussion titled “1975 Bangladesh and the World: A Grand Reform and A Carnage” organised by Center for Research and Information (CRI).