Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and one of the country's most important leaders during the Liberation War, was brutally killed inside Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975. This dark day in Bangladesh's history is remembered as Jail Killing Day.
Ahmad played an instrumental role in Bangladesh's independence. He led the exiled government during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.
Shaped Bangladesh politics
Ahmad became the General Secretary of the Awami League in 1966 and led the party through extremely difficult years in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He introduced a six-point program, focusing on various sets of demands, which became the foundation for Bangladesh's fight for independence.
He also organised the Awami League's campaign for the 1970 general election in Pakistan. But when the Pakistani army launched a brutal crackdown in 1971, targeting civilians and political leaders in East Pakistan, Tajuddin escaped to India.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, one of the founders of the Awami League, was imprisoned. During this time, Tajuddin took the lead in forming the Provisional Government of Bangladesh, which he operated from India and became the Prime Minister of this government-in-exile.
After the country gained independence, Tajuddin became the Finance and Planning Minister and also helped draft the Constitution of Bangladesh. However, in 1974, he resigned from politics.
Death of Tajuddin
After Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, was assassinated in a military coup on 15 August 1975, the political environment in Bangladesh turned extremely volatile. Tajuddin was first put under house arrest and then taken to the Central Jail on August 22, 1975.
He was arrested, along with three other senior leaders of the Awami League. On 3 November 1975, armed officers entered the jail and murdered Bangladesh's then acting president, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, home minister AHM Qamaruzzaman, and finance minister M Mansur Ali.
Since then, Bangladesh has mourned the day as "Jail Killing Day".
