‘Born In Blood, Burnt By Coups, B’desh Has Reason For Optimism’

NEW DELHI: The hanging of Capt. Majed, one of the conspirators in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, does not necessarily close the file. Key persons who took part in the assassination are still missing and the Bangladesh government would love to get its hand on them. In this edition of Talking Point, the flagship show on StratNews Global anchored by Deputy Editor Parul Chandra, we look back at a tumultuous period in the history of that country, one unfortunately bathed in blood. The discussants Nitin Gokhale and Surya Gangadharan, look at the role of young army officers in the assassination. Captains and majors with eight to ten years of service plotting to eliminate a charismatic president, who was also the founder of their republic.

What were their motivations? How come senior officers knew about it but kept quiet? What about the sepoys, many of whom appeared to hate their officers and were driven by some vision of revolution? More important, what does this portend for Bangladesh in the post-Sheikh Hasina years? There are no clear answers, but the hope is the years of social and economic progress under Prime Minister Hasina has given people including the army, a stake in continued growth and stability.