The Way an Egyptian Tank Was Used in Mujib's Assassination

In 1974, the then President of Egypt Anwar Al Sadat presented 30 tanks to the Founding President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

However, the tank was used to assassinate Sheikh Mujib on August 15, 1975.

The assassinated army officers used those tanks to terrorize the city when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members. Although there was no ammunition in those tanks.

Why did Egypt gift tanks?

During the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, newly independent Bangladesh supported the Arabs. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sent tea to Egypt as an expression of support and love for the Arabs.

After the Arab-Israeli war, the then President of Egypt Anwar Al Sadat did not forget the gift sent by Bangladesh. In February 1974, the President of Egypt visited Bangladesh.

Sheikh Mujib was then informed by Anwar al-Sadat that Egypt wanted to gift 30 tanks to Bangladesh. The aim was to build an arsenal of independent Bangladesh.

Pakistani journalist Anthony Mascarenhas describes the incident in detail in his book, Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood.

The book has been translated into Bengali under the title 'Bangladesh Blood Loan'. Translated in 1986, the book was published by Haqqani Publishers.

According to Anthony Mascarenhas, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was reluctant to accept the tank. But the Foreign Office and the ministers were able to convince him that it would not be right to return the Egyptian gift.

A delegation from the then army visited Egypt to bring these tanks. By June 1984, these tanks arrived in Bangladesh.

Then there was the Dhaka Brigade Commander, Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, who retired as Major General and in 2001 was one of the advisers to the caretaker government. General Chowdhury died in 2010.

His book, 'The Silent Testimony of a General: The First Decade of Independence', describes the Egyptian gifted tanks.

General Moinul wrote that he had given an opinion to Sheikh Mujib that there was no need to keep the tanks provided by Egypt in Dhaka and there were no training facilities.

"One day I proposed to the Prime Minister to send the tanks to Rangpur Cantonment in North Bengal. But the Prime Minister did not pay any attention to my words.''

Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who himself was later assassinated by soldiers.

The assassination of Mujib and the tanks provided by Egypt

At around 4 am on August 15, 1975, the allied and loyal soldiers of the assassin Farooq Rahman started organizing as planned.

The big question today is why the detectives did not realize such a big preparation inside the cantonment in the dark of night.

Within half an hour of gathering, Farooq Rahman started his journey with his forces.

According to journalist Anthony Mascarenhas, on the way to the destination, Farooq stopped in front of the ammunition cantonment in the cantonment.

He thought there would be tank ammunition and some machine-gun bullets. The door of the depot was opened by the barrel of the cannon.

But no ammunition or machine gun bullets were found there.

Mascarenhas wrote, "So there was no choice but to succeed by deception."

As Farooq's tank fleet advanced, they met a group of 4th and 1st Bengal infantry.

At this time they went out to do the morning patrol. But the tank fleet led by Farooq crossed the training area and headed towards the main road of the city but no question arose in anyone's mind.

The assassins, including Farooq Rahman, were worried about the then guards. They thought that if they wanted to kill Mujib, there would be resistance from the guards.

That is why Farooq Rahman left the cantonment with a convoy of tanks and went to the headquarters of the guards in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Another group went to the houses of Sheikh Mujib, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni and Abdur Rab Serniabat.

Anwar-ul-Alam was the deputy director of the guard then. In 2013, his book 'Rakshi Bahini Truth-False' was published.

In that book, he writes, he woke up on the morning of August 15, 1975, on the telephone of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman told him, "Martyr, Monir (Sheikh Monir) 's house was attacked by someone wearing black clothes. See what can be done?"

He then came to know through various means that the President's house had been attacked. A shell also fell near his house.

Anwar-ul-Alam wrote, "Several tanks broke down the walls of Dhaka airport and took up position in front of the head office of the guards. We understand that a part of the army has revolted and they are organizing a coup."

"We immediately instructed everyone in the guards to be ready. Sarwar (then deputy director of the guards) called different parts of the country and asked the members of the guards to be ready."

Mr. According to Alam, the guards did not have the strength to resist in Dhaka.

Faruk Rahman cheated with the tank

Sakhawat Hossain came to the room of Colonel Safayat Jamil at the Brigade Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment on 15th August 1975 at 10:30 am.

Mr Hussein later retired as a brigadier and took over as election commissioner in 2008.

Retired Brigadier M Sakhawat Hossain has given a detailed account of the August 15, 1975 incident in his book 'Bangladesh: Bloody Chapter 1975-71'.

Brigadier Hossain writes that Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf and Major Farooq Rahman (the killer) came there shortly after.

Major Farooq, dressed in a black tank suit, entered the room. Major Farooq then said that there was no ammunition in his tank.

Brigadier Sakhawat wrote, "This is the first time I have learned that any of Farooq's tanks had no ammunition for the main song during the night raid and until about 10 am .... . "

"When Bangabandhu's house was attacked on August 15, Farooq with two tanks surrounded the guard headquarters in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and deactivated the battalion present there."

There was no ammunition in the tanks that Farooq Rahman took to the streets to kill Sheikh Mujib. This information has also come up in the book of journalist Anthony Mascarenhas.

Mr. Mascarenhas also interviewed the killer Farooq Rahman.

"Farooq later told me that very few people know how effective tanks are as a psychological weapon. There are very few brave people who would not try to escape the fear of life by looking at tanks," Mascarenhas wrote in a conversation with him.

Farooq also had doubts and worries in his mind when he was going to the guard headquarters with the tank.

Since there was no ammunition in the tank, Farooq Rahman told his colleagues to be brave.

Faruk Rahman told Anthony Mascarenhas, "As we passed by, the guards were staring at us in amazement. We were staring at them sharply. It was a terrible situation. I told the driver, if they start doing anything, The tank will run over them without delay. "

"He didn't need it anymore... Suddenly seeing the tank in front of them, they didn't dare move the mosquitoes."

In an interview with Anthony Mascarenhas, Farooq Rahman admits that if anyone really wanted to resist him in that situation, he would have nothing to do.