| 7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theCold War in Asia,1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency and themilitary coups in Bangladesh | |||
 Soldiers of theBiplobi Shainik Sangstha being received by the public on 7 November 1975 | |||
| Date | 7 November 1975 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | |||
| Goals | Socialist revolution | ||
| Resulted in |
| ||
| Parties | |||
| Lead figures | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Deaths | 43 officers (including Mosharraf, Huda & Haider) | ||
| Detained | 33 BSS & JaSaD members (including Taher) | ||
The7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état, also known as theSipahi–Janata Revolution (Bengali:সিপাহী–জনতার বিপ্লব,romanized: Sipāhī–Jônôtār Biplôb,lit. 'Soldier–People's Revolution'), was launched byleft-wing soldiers (Sipahi) ofBiplobi Shainik Sangstha (BSS) under the leadership of Lt. Col. (retd.)Abu Taher.
The coup was primarily the result of the previous3 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état, organised by Brig.Khaled Mosharraf against those involved inthe assassination ofSheikh Mujibur Rahman, which BSS perceived to be counter-revolutionary. On 7 November, BSS affiliated soldiers, along with the support from the general masses, revolted against Khaled and other officers ofBangladesh Army and snatched the power. The coup resulted in thedeath of Brig. Gen.Khaled Mosharraf and many other officers. During the coup,Ziaur Rahman was freed from house arrest, enabling him to seize power and become thepresident.
The coup temporarily ended the violent political chaos and power struggle that started after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. TheNational Revolution and Solidarity Day is observed annually in Bangladesh on 7 November commemorating the event.
After the1971 Independence War,Awami League leaderSheikh Mujibur Rahman became the firstpresident of Bangladesh,whose reign become increasingly unpopular among the people of the country. This led to the rise of aleft-wing insurgency by theJatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), whose aim was to create asocialist state througharmed revolution. His three-year long regime failed to deter the insurgency due to "his misplaced confidence on people's power".[1] He wasassassinated in the15 August 1975 military coup and was replaced byKhondaker Mostaq Ahmad as the president.[2][3] Khondaker Mostaq replaced theBangladesh Army chief, Maj. Gen.K M Shafiullah, with Maj. Gen.Ziaur Rahman, the deputy Army chief.[4]
Mostaq formedhis own ministry, comprising the members from the Awami League and the military. But the army officers involved in Sheikh Mujib's assassination broke the army's chain of command, as these young officers "began acting like generals" in the new Mostaq government.[5] Brig.Khaled Mosharraf, the chief of general staff, had asked Zia to restore the chain of command in the army and Zia proved unwilling or unable to do so.[5] As a result, Brig. Khaled and other officers including Col.Shafaat Jamil and Lt. Col.A. T. M. Haider staged3 November 1975 coup, subsequently removing Khondaker Mostaq from power and detaining Zia at house.[4] The coup was perceived to beMujibist by the JaSaD and considered this a return of the previous regime.[4]
Khondaker Mostaq requested that those involved in Sheikh Mujib's assassination should be allowed to safely leave Bangladesh, which Khaled agreed to. Before the assassins left, they killed four national leaders of Bangladesh, who were imprisoned inDhaka Central Jail:Syed Nazrul Islam,Muhammad Mansur Ali,Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman andTajuddin Ahmed, the event which's known as theJail Killing. Mostaq was replaced byAbu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, the firstChief Justice of Bangladesh.[4]
The uprising was planned and conducted by theBiplobi Shainik Sangstha (BSS), a "vaguelysocialist andegalitarian" organisation, formed by the JaSaD.[6] On each night between 4 November and 6 November, BSS held regular secret meetings under its leader Col. (retd.)Abu Taher.[5] Taher was a retired army officer andfreedom fighter who joined the JaSaD and led its armed branches. On 5 November, the BSS distributed thousands of leaflets among soldiers and urban workers accusing Mosharraf of being in leagues withIndia in taking over the country,[7] and preparing a general uprising. Furthermore, the BSS issued a list of12 demands, which included the establishment of a classlessarmed forces, to facilitate the creation of aclassless society.[5] On the evening of 6 November, a meeting was held to finalise the plans for the uprising. According to the plans of the meeting, there would be two stages in the revolt, firstly to free Ziaur Rahman from detention and secondly, to implement the 12 demands of the BSS.
The uprising began soon after midnight on 7 November inDhaka Cantonment, when Subedar Mehboob fired a single rifle shot,[8] signalling the start of the uprising, which soon spread to other areas, includingRangpur andChittagong. Crowds poured into the streets of Dhaka to support the soldiers and shouted slogans, such as"সিপাহী সিপাহী ভাই ভাই, অফিসারদের রক্ত চাই!" ("Soldiers are brothers, want the blood of the officers!").[5] The mood in the city was described as "exuberant" by Lawrence Lifschultz. Civilians and soldiers piled onto the tanks of the 1st Bengal Lancers Regiment, which came out into the streets in support of the revolt.[6] Many people came out of the houses and celebrated the uprising with the soldiers.
On the other side, Ziaur Rahman was freed from house arrest by soldiers and taken to the headquarters of the 2nd Field Artillery regiment, where he met Taher. Witnesses claim that Zia embraced Taher and thanked him for saving his life.[5]
Khaled Mosharraf and his associates were atBangabhaban when the uprising began. Upon realising that their 3 November coup had been undone, Mosharraf,A.T.M. Haider andKhondkar Nazmul Huda left Bangabhaban to seek safety at the headquarters of the 10 Bengal Regiment. Although the soldiers of the 10 Bengal had no direct link to the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha, they learned of the mutiny.[9] The commanding officer of the 10 Bengal Regiment, Col.Nawazesh Uddin, held a meeting with his fellow officers to decide whether Mosharraf and his companions should be allowed to come to the headquarters of the 10 Bengal Regiment. Two officers present at the meeting, Cap. Asad and Cap.M. A. Jalil, reportedly said "Let the bastards come in, we'll sort them out!"[9] Col. Nawazesh received a phone call from Lt. Gen. Zia, who told Nawazesh to ensure the safety of Mosharraf and his companions.[9]
When Mosharraf, Haider and Huda arrived at the 10 Bengal Regiment headquarters, Col. Nawazesh ordered the soldiers not to harm the three officers. However, after the uprising, the soldiers were defiant and refused to listen to Col. Nawazesh's orders. Fearing for his own life, Col. Nawazesh did nothing to stop the soldiers from killing Mosharraf.[9] An eyewitness claimed that Cap. Asad and Cap. Jalil ordered their soldiers to kill the three officers. Mosharraf and Huda were dragged out of an office and killed by automatic gunfire, while Haider was killed by a single shot, after Haider tried to reach for his pistol.[9]
InBangladesh: A Legacy of Blood,Anthony Mascarenhas wrote that the killings of other army officers began on 8 November. Because many officers did not agree with the 12 demands of the BSS, which resulted in serious confrontations between officers and their troops. In Dhaka and Rangpur, 40 officers, mostly freedom fighters, were killed by their troops and enlisted men were reported to have ripped badges off officer's lapels.[5] 65% of all officers in Bangladesh lost control of their troops as a result of the uprising.[6]
After Ziaur Rahman granted pay rise to the enlisted men, many of the soldiers lost interest in the uprising.[10] On 24 November, Col. Abu Taher, the mastermind of the uprising, was arrested for high treason and murder and was put on trial, along with 33 other members of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.[11] On 17 July 1976, Taher was sentenced to death and was executed on 21 July 1976.[11] In his final letter, Taher described Ziaur Rahman as a "traitor" and claimed that he was freed from detention under Taher's orders.[5] According toHasanul Haq Inu, Taher said in his final judicial statement:[12]
"Zia has betrayed not only me, but also the revolutionary soldiers, the sacred pledge of November 7, in short, the entire nation. We have been stabbed in the back. Compared to Khaled Mosharraf, Zia has proven to be the other side of the coin. There is only one other example of such betrayal in the history of our nation, and that isMir Jafar."
The events of 7 November paved the path to the presidency for Ziaur Rahman.[13] On this day following Mosharraf's death, President Sayem assumed the role ofChief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) and Maj. Gen. Zia was made Deputy CMLA. A year later, President Sayem handed over CMLA duties to Zia and months after that stepped down on "health reason", and Zia became acting president in the absence of avice president.[14]
In reminiscence to the uprising, 7 November is observed as theNational Revolution and Solidarity Day in Bangladesh. TheBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which was founded by Ziaur Rahman after he became president,[15] commemorates the day and regards the military coup a "civil military uprising".[16] While Taher's party, the JaSaD, observes it as "Sipahi–Janata Revolution Day".[17]
On the other hand, theAwami League calls itFreedom Fighters Killing Day and views it negatively.[18] The celebrations of the day were suppressed under the regime ofSheikh Hasina.
JournalistAfsan Chowdhury described the uprising as the "closest that anyMarxist force of whatever description in Bangladesh reached the doors of state power".[19] Political analyst Maruf Mallick claimed that if Taher, instead of Zia, ascended to power, Bangladesh would effectively become aone-partydictatorship.[20]
