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."

The 96th birth anniversary of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of independent Bangladesh and one of the four national leaders, was observed on Friday. Tajuddin, a great man and a political logician to the core, was born on this day in 1925 at Dardariya village in Kapasia, Gazipur.  Since the 1947 partition, Tajuddin Ahmad played a very important role in all movements from anti-communalism to the Language Movement to the 1971 Liberation War. A close confidante of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tajuddin was the general secretary of the Awami League in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Always actively associated with politics for the emancipation of people, he coordinated with Awami League’s election campaign in 1970, in which the party won a historic parliamentary majority to form the government. Read: Tajuddin Ahmed’s 95th birth anniversary observed Tajuddin had led the wartime provisional government during the Liberation War of Bangladesh 1971.  On December 22, 1971, Tajuddin returned to Dhaka after the war. After the independence of Bangladesh, Tajuddin served as the Prime Minister till the historic return of Bangabandhu to his homeland on January 10, 1972. Later, he served as the Minister of Finance and Planning in the cabinet of the Bangabandhu government. He resigned from the cabinet on October 26, 1974. On November 3, 1975, four national leaders and heroes of the country’s Liberation War -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman -- were assassinated inside the Dhaka Central Jail. The strong and unbending role Tajuddin had played during the Liberation War and the supreme sacrifice he made will always be remembered by this grateful nation. Read: Tajuddin Ahmad's 95th birth anniv: LWM and Radio Shadhin to host online event Liberation War Museum arranged a 48-hour online programme from Friday at 8pm, marking the 96th birth anniversary of Tajuddin Ahmad. Filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel will deliver a speech on this virtual event, titled "Jonmodine Tajuddin Ahmad: Nisshongo Sarothi" and there will be a question-answer session at the end of the discussion. Link to watch the documentary: vimeo.com/liberationwarmuseum Zoom link for the discussion: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8520693449