Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said on Thursday that declaring ‘Jail killing Day’ as a national day of mourning is a matter of a decision from the government’s high-ups. The ruling party is commemorating the Jail Killing Day on Thursday (November 3) to pay tribute to four national leaders and close aides of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who were killed inside Dhaka Central Jail in the old part of the city on the day in 1975. Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman were murdered on the day while in state custody. Following the military coup on August 15 in 1975, when Bangbandhu along with most of his family members were killed, a series of politically motivated killings took place amid a tumultuous political scenario. On Thursday, Quader paid tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmam at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the capital as part of the commemoration of the day. Read more: Jail Killing Day to be observed Wednesday About the demand from the assassinated leaders’ families to declare the day as a national mourning day, Quader said such a decision is a matter to handle from the government’s high-ups. The ruling Bangladesh Awami League began the day by hoisting the national flag and party flag at half-mast at its central and district offices across the country at dawn. Party leaders placed wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the capital at 7:00am to mark the day. Wreaths were also placed at the graves of Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Mansur Ali at Banani graveyard around 7:30am while fateha, milad-mahfil and munajat were offered there. Read more: Aug 15, jail killings prove conspiracy against independence, people: PM Floral wreaths were also placed at the grave of AHM Qamruzzaman in Rajshahi where prayer sessions, offering fateha and milad mahfil were held, marking the day. The ruling Awami League will hold a discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital at 3:00pm when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will speak.    

Several events will be held across Bangladesh Thursday to commemorate Jail Killing Day, the day the country was robbed of its top national leaders. On November 3, 1975, four national leaders and heroes of the country's Liberation War, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman were murdered while in state custody inside Dhaka Central Jail. At that time, the country was seeing sweeping political changes following the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family on August 15, 1975. Read more: AL to observe Jail Killing Day Wednesday The four leaders played a key role in leading the Mujibnagar government, which led the Liberation War effort in 1971 with Nazrul Islam as the acting president, Tajuddin as the prime minister, Mansur Ali as the finance minister and Qamruzzaman as the home, relief and rehabilitation minister. Different political parties, including the ruling Awami League, will observe Jail Killing Day, a dark episode in the country's history. The Awami League and its affiliated organisations will fly the national flag and the party flag at half-mast. They will also wear black badges of mourning. The Awami League leaders and activists will go to the Banani graveyard to pay respects to Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin and Mansur Ali, who are buried at the site. Tribute will be paid at the grave of Quamruzzaman in Rajshahi as well. Also, the Centre for Tajuddin Ahmad Research and Activism will organise a cultural programme to mark the day. Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the four national leaders in separate messages. The president said: "The aim of the killers was to erase the spirit of the Liberation War from the minds of the young generation apart from giving rise to an undemocratic autocratic rule which failed." Read more: Aug 15, jail killings prove conspiracy against independence, people: PM "The nation will always remember the contributions of the four national leaders with due respect." Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: "The killing of the four national leaders was the continuation of the assassination of the Father of the Nation and most of his family. Through it, the defeated forces and anti-state quarters made an evil attempt to destroy the Liberation War spirit and render the Bengali national leaderless by erasing the name of the Awami League."