Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his Mazar here this morning on the occasion of his 44th martyrdom anniversary and the National Mourning Day.

After laying the wreath, the prime minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the architect of the independence, who was brutally killed by some disgruntled army men on the dreadful night of August 15, 1975, along with most of his family members.

A smartly turned out contingent drawn from the three services gave a state salute on the occasion, while bugle played the last post. Chiefs of the three services were present at that time.

The premier then offered Fateha and joined a munajat at the Mazar seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Father of the Nation, Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib and other martyrs of August 15, 1975 massacre.

Prayers were also offered seeking continued peace, progress and prosperity of the nation.

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Awami League (AL) Advisory Council Members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Rashidul Alam, its Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Muhammad Faruk Khan, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Road Transport and Bridges Minister and AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Local Government Minister Tazul Islam, Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Mazumdar, Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, AL Joint Secretaries Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, Organizing Secretaries AFM Bahauddin Nasaim and BM Mozammel Haque, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP, Abul Hasnat Abdullah, MP, Shahjahan Khan, MP, Sheikh Helal Uddin, MP, Mirza Azam, MP, and Sheikh Tanmoy, MP, and AL central leaders Advocate Afzal Hussain, Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, SM Kamal Hossain, Barrister Biplab Barua were present on the occasion, among others.

Besides, PM’s Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman, Principal Coordinator on SDG Md Abul Kalam Azad, Inspector General of Police Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary, PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hassan, Information Secretary Abdul Malek, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and high civil and military officials were present.

Later, flanked by senior Awami League (AL) leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, placed another wreath at the Mazar of Bangabandhu on behalf of the party.

The prime minister along with cabinet members, party leaders and workers joined a milad and doa mahfil on the Mazar premises marking the National Mourning Day, organised by the cabinet division and Gopalganj district administration. PM’s daughter Saima Wazed Hossain also present on the occasion.

Earlier, Sheikh Hasina arrived in Tungipara, the ancestral home of Bangabandhu, by an Air Force helicopter after placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka as part of the national programmes marking the National Mourning Day.

The prime minister also went to the Banani graveyard and spread flower petals on the graves of the martyrs of August 15 carnage and offered fateha and joined a munajat there.