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3 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état

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3 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état
Part of the military coups in Bangladesh
Date3 November 1975
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Result

Coup successful

Belligerents
 Bangladesh Army Bangladesh Government of Bangladesh
Commanders and leaders

The 3 November coup d'état was organised by Brig. Khaled Mosharraf against President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad to remove him from the presidency and the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from power: Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Syed Faruque Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim.[1] The coup resulted a return of Mujibist forces in Bangladeshi politics for a short time.

The coup was the result of a power struggle between the regime of Mostaq Ahmed and the mid-ranking officers backing him, Majed, Faruque, Rashid and Dalim,[1] and Mosharraf and the high-ranking officers supporting him, Col. Shafaat Jamil, Lt. Col. Abu Taher Mohammad Haider and Col. Khondkar Nazmul Huda. The high-ranking officers were worried about army discipline with "junior mutinous officers issuing orders from the presidential palace". With the coup, Mosharraf promoted himself to the rank of major general and the post of Chief of Army Staff after placing Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman under house arrest while the mid-ranking officers went on exile, as was agreed upon between the belligerents. The coup lasted 3 days, after which Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem was installed as president while Mosharraf served as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. The coup resulted the death of four national leaders of Bangladesh: Syed Nazrul Islam, former vice president and acting president of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad, former prime minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Mansur Ali, former prime minister of Bangladesh, and Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, former home minister of Bangladesh.

Background

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Main articles: 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état and Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Further information: Premiership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
This section is an excerpt from 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état.[edit]
Grave of the victims at Banani Graveyard, Dhaka

The military coup in Bangladesh on August 15 of 1975 was launched by mid-ranking army officers in order to assassinate founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,[2][3] whose administration post-independence grew corrupt and reportedly authoritarian until he established a one-party state-based government led by the socialist party Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League.[4][5] Mujib, along with his resident family members, were killed during the coup but was survived by his two then-expat daughters, one of them being future prime minister Sheikh Hasina.[6][7] The officers were led by Capt. Abdul Majed, Major Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman, Major Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Major Shariful Haque Dalim.[6]

Immediately following the coup, one of Mujib's close associates and cabinet ministers Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, with support of the officers, took control of the government and declared himself President of Bangladesh.[8] Under martial law, he made a proclamation on 20 August to amend the constitution to omit the provision for the legal basis for one-party system.[9] He reportedly praised the assassin officers, calling them "Children of the Sun", and proclaimed the Indemnity Ordinance, which granted them immunity from prosecution.[10][11]

The principle instigator of the coup to dethrone the killers of Sheikh Mujib, Brig. Khaled Mosharraf, started out as a Bengali officer in the Pakistan Army. He joined the Mukti Bahini after the start of Bangladesh War. He was appointed by the Mujibnagar Government to lead Sector 2 of the Mukti Bahini. He survived a bullet wound to his head during the war and was provided treatment in Lucknow, India. After Bangladesh became an independent country, he was awarded Bir Uttom by the government of Bangladesh for his role in the war.[12] Following the coup he became the Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Army.[13]

Events

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After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the assassins had established their government in Bangabhaban (the Presidential Palace) under Mostaq Ahmad. On 3 November 1975, Brig. Mosharraf launched a coup to remove the assassins from power and Mostaq Ahmad from the Presidency.[1] Khaled Mosharraf was being supported by Colonel Shafaat Jamil, the brigade commander of 46th Independent Infantry Brigade based in Dhaka. They were worried about army discipline with "junior mutinous officers" Abdul Majed, Syed Faruque Rahman, Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Shariful Haque Dalim "issuing orders from the presidential palace". Mosharraf and the then-Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman, disagreed on when to remove the rebels from power. Khaled wanted it to be done as soon as possible while Zia wanted to wait till heavy armoured vehicles were removed from the Presidential Palace. He used the helicopters of Bangladesh Air Force to scare the rebels held up in the Presidential Palace.[14][15]

As it appeared a military confrontation was imminent, AVM Muhammad Ghulam Tawab, the Chief of the Air Staff, was able convince the rebels to negotiate their way out of power. Tawab was appointed to his position by the rebels, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The rebels agreed on the conditions that they be provided safe passage to Thailand.

On 4 November 1975, Khaled was promoted to Brigadier General and made the Chief of Army Staff. Ziaur Rahman was forced to retire from service and placed under house arrest in Dhaka Cantonment. Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, the Chief Justice of Bangladesh, was made President and replaced Khondaker Mostaq.[14] Khaled Mosharraf ordered the arrests of KM Obaidur Rahman, Nurul Islam Manzur, Shah Moazzam Hossain, and Taheruddin Thakur, who were Awami League politicians who had aligned themselves with Mostaq Ahmad.[16]

Aftermath

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Jail Killing

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Main article: Jail Killing

On 3 November 1975, before the rebels went on exile, they killed four Awami League leaders in jail: Syed Nazrul Islam, former vice president and acting president of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad, former prime minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Mansur Ali, former prime minister of Bangladesh, and Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, former home minister of Bangladesh.[14]

Counter-coup

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Main article: 7 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état

Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf was killed in a counter-coup resulting from Sipahi-Janata Revolution led by Col. Abu Taher with the support of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. Col. Huda and Lt. Col. Haider were also killed in the coup.[17] The officers were visiting the 10th East Bengal Regiment when they were killed by the soldiers of the regiment.[18] The coup also freed and reinstated Maj. Gen. Zia,[17] who would later go on to become President in 1977.[17]

Legacy

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Awami League observes 3 November as Jail Killing Day due to the killing of the four national leaders in Dhaka Central Jail.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Shame darker than the night". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 15 August 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Mu jib Reported Overthrown and Killed in a Coup by the Bangladesh Military". The New York Times. 15 August 1975.
  3. ^ "Bangladesh Coup: A Day of Killings". The New York Times. 23 August 1975.
  4. ^ "SHEIK MUJIB GETS TOTAL AUTHORITY OVER BANGLADESH". The New York Times. 26 January 1975. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  5. ^ Maniruzzaman, Talukder (1975). "Bangladesh: An Unfinished Revolution?". The Journal of Asian Studies. 34 (4). Cambridge University Press: 891–911. doi:10.2307/2054506. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 2054506. S2CID 154434833.
  6. ^ a b Mannan, Abdul (15 August 2022). "Bangabandhu's assassination: The enemy within". The Daily Star (Bangladesh).
  7. ^ "Aug 15 in world media". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 19 November 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Muhammad Ali in Bangladesh: 35 Years Ago The Champ Visited A New Nation In Turmoil". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  9. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Proclamation". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  10. ^ Tripathi, Salil. "Of course, we killed him ... he had to go". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  11. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Ahmad, Khondakar Mostaq". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  12. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Mosharraf, Major General Khaled". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Khaled Mosharraf the mastermind". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 1 November 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  14. ^ a b c "Jail killing: An attempt to cripple Bangladesh". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 3 November 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  15. ^ Islam, N. (29 April 2016). Governance for Development: Political and Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh. Springer. p. 37. ISBN 9781137542540.
  16. ^ a b "The many questions around 3 November 1975 | The Opinion Pages". The Opinion Pages. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  17. ^ a b c "In MOURNING, In RAGE". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 15 August 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  18. ^ Newton, Michael (2014-04-17). Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 341. ISBN 9781610692861.
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