| 3 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état | |||||||
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| Part of themilitary coups in Bangladesh | |||||||
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 Government of Bangladesh | |||||||
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The3 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état was organised byBrig.Khaled Mosharraf againstPresidentKhondaker Mostaq Ahmad to remove him from the presidency and theassassins ofSheikh Mujibur Rahman from power:Capt.Abdul Majed,Maj.Syed Faruque Rahman, Maj.Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj.Shariful Haque Dalim.[1] The coup resulted in a return ofMujibist forces inBangladeshi 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 fromthe presidential palace". With the coup, Mosharraf promoted himself to the rank ofmajor general and the post ofChief of Army Staff after placingMaj. Gen.Ziaur Rahman under house arrest while the mid-ranking officers went on exile, as was agreed upon between thebelligerents. The coup lasted 3 days, after whichAbu Sadat Mohammad Sayem was installed as President while Mosharraf served as theChief Martial Law Administrator. The coup resulted in the death of four national leaders of Bangladesh:Syed Nazrul Islam, formervice president and acting president of Bangladesh,Tajuddin Ahmad, formerprime minister of Bangladesh,Muhammad Mansur Ali, former prime minister of Bangladesh, andAbul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, formerhome minister of Bangladesh.
Amilitary coup was launched inBangladesh on August 15, 1975, by mid-ranking army officers in order toassassinate President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[2][3] Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known asBangabandhu (lit. 'Friend of Bengal') orMujib, was the country's founding president, but post-independence his administration grew corrupt and reportedly 'increasingly authoritarian' until he formed a 'one-party state' led by the socialistBangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League.[4][5] Mujib was killed during the coup, along with many of his family members who were living in Bangladesh at the time, but he was survived by his two then-expat daughters, one of whom was future prime ministerSheikh Hasina.[6][7] The officers were led by Capt.Abdul Majed, MajorSyed Faruque Rahman, MajorKhandaker Abdur Rashid and MajorShariful Haque Dalim.[6]
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, one of Mujib's close associates and cabinet ministers, took control of the government immediately following the coup with support of the officers and declared himselfPresident 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 the one-party system.[9] He reportedly praised the assassin officers, calling them "Children of the Sun", and proclaimed theIndemnity 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 thePakistan Army. He joined theMukti Bahini after the start ofBangladesh War. He was appointed by theMujibnagar Government to lead Sector 2 of the Mukti Bahini. He survived a bullet wound to his head during the war and was provided treatment inLucknow, India. After Bangladesh became an independent country, he was awardedBir Uttom by the government of Bangladesh for his role in the war.[12] Following the coup he became theChief of Staff ofBangladesh Army.[13]
After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the assassins had established their government inBangabhaban (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 of46th 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 ofBangladesh Air Force to scare the rebels held up in the Presidential Palace.[14][15]
As it appeared a military confrontation was imminent,AVMMuhammad Ghulam Tawab, theChief 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 toThailand.
On 4 November 1975, Khaled was promoted to Major General and made the Chief of Army Staff. Ziaur Rahman was forced to retire from service and placed under house arrest inDhaka Cantonment. Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, theChief Justice of Bangladesh, was made President and replaced Khondaker Mostaq.[14] Khaled Mosharraf ordered the arrests ofKM Obaidur Rahman,Nurul Islam Manzur,Shah Moazzam Hossain, andTaheruddin Thakur, who were Awami League politicians who had aligned themselves with Mostaq Ahmad.[16]
On 3 November 1975, before the rebels went on exile, they killed fourAwami League leaders in jail:Syed Nazrul Islam, formervice president and acting president of Bangladesh,Tajuddin Ahmad, formerprime minister of Bangladesh,Muhammad Mansur Ali, former prime minister of Bangladesh, andAbul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, formerhome minister of Bangladesh.[14]
Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf was killed ina counter-coup resulting fromSipahi-Janata Revolution led by Col.Abu Taher with the support ofJatiya 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]
Awami League observes 3 November asJail Killing Day due to the killing of the four national leaders inDhaka Central Jail.[16]
