Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Who is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman?

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, affectionately titled Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal), is revered as the founding father of Bangladesh. Born on 17 March 1920 in Tungipara in the Gopalganj district of the Bengal Presidency, he became active in student politics and rose through the Awami League to become the foremost voice of Bengali nationalism in Pakistan. His 1966 Six-Point Movement demanded autonomy for East Pakistan, and after his party's decisive victory in the 1970 general elections was denied power, he became the rallying figure of the independence struggle. Following the Pakistani military crackdown in March 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War led to the birth of an independent nation, and Mujib emerged from imprisonment to serve first as President and then as Prime Minister. His government faced immense challenges of postwar reconstruction and famine. On 15 August 1975 he and most of his family were assassinated in a military coup at his Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka. He remains a defining figure of the nation's history.

Sources: Rahman, Sheikh Mujibur. The Unfinished Memoirs, 2012 · Encyclopaedia Britannica, entry 'Mujibur Rahman' · Zaheer, Hasan. The Separation of East Pakistan, 1994