Bangabandhu was killed to overpower spirit of Liberation War: Shahriar Kabir

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman defined socialism, democracy and secularism in the context of Bangladesh with the best interest of the nation in mind, according to which the country's constitution was formed, writer and war crimes researcher Shahriar Kabir said yesterday.

He made the remark in his lecture on “Bangabandhu and the Spirit of Liberation War”, organised by Bangladesh Itihas Sammilani, a forum of historians, at Bangladesh National Museum in Dhaka.

The lecture was organised on occasion of the National Mourning Day, to be observed on August 15.

“Bangabandhu believed in socialism and secularism. He wanted a society which would be free of discrimination and exploitation, where people of all religions could live together peacefully,” Shahriar added.

Democracy, socialism, secularism and nationalism were the four fundamentals Bangabandhu believed in. But after his murder, most of those values were erased, he said.

Anti-liberation forces killed him to overpower the spirit of Liberation War. Afterwards, these evil forces flourished and communalism emerged, he added.

Terming former president Ziaur Rahman “a godfather of the murderers”, Shahriar said, “Ziaur Rahman not only rewarded the murderers of Bangabandhu, but also erased the spirit of Liberation War from the constitution.”

Shahriar urged the youth to learn more about Bangabandhu and to re-establish his philosophies.

Litterateur and educationist Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir presided over the programme.