National Mourning Day of Bangladesh is a commemorative day in Bangladesh which began in 1976. The day is also a former public holiday.
On 15 August 1975, the first president of independent Bangladesh and 'Father of the Nation', Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (also known as 'Bangabandhu'), was assassinated by a group of army personnel, along with his family at his house in Dhanmondi in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Besides him, his wife Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib was killed that day. 16 more people were killed along with their family members and relatives.
To commemorate the day, the 'National Mourning Day' was declared for the first time at a student rally held at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on 5 November 1975, following the funeral prayers of four national leaders and Bangabandhu. Ignoring the special military decree issued on 5 August 1976, student leaders took the initiative to pay homage to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1976, the first death anniversary of Sheikh Mujib, at 32 Dhanmondi and organize a Milad ceremony at Dhaka University Mosque. In the presence of a large number of students, prayers were offered at the Milad ceremony at Dhaka University Mosque, seeking the peace of the souls of Bangabandhu and his family members. However, when they tried to enter Dhanmondi Road No. 32, the police blocked them. In this, students threw and floated flowers in the water of Dhanmondi Lake adjacent to the road towards the Bangabandhu House. On the same day, initiatives were taken to hold a Milad Mahfil, Quran Khatam, Doa-Monajat at Shaheed Ashuranjan Hostel of Haji Asmat College in Bhairab, Kishoreganj, and a Dua Mahfil at the Town Hall in Jessore. The police prevented the Milad Mahfil in Kishoreganj. 22 people were arrested for 'disobeying' the military order. They were all released in phases within 1 year. In 1996,In 1996, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina established the national day of remembrance via executive ordinance, which was later ratified by Parliament. The ordinance was later ratified by her parliament in a bill. Government officials commemorated the day by laying wreaths, making speeches, and attending special prayers.
When the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power in 2001, they reversed the bill. Awami League (AL) stalwarts continued to observe the anniversary, but without government recognition. In 2008, the caretaker government reintroduced the holiday. Sociologist Hasanuzzaman Chowdhury wrote that Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP and former prime minister, shifted the observance of her birthday to 15 August to defy the AL and mock the commemoration.
On 13 August 2024, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus cancelled the holiday and its observation following consultations with various political parties. Prior to that, student organisations that spearheaded the 2024 quota reform movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement that led to the resignation of Sheikh Hasina from power had criticised the event as having become "a political and cultural symbol of the party".
Prior to that the government had made it obligatory for schools and other public institutions to observe the holiday, and granted universities funds to organize events on the day.
Anthropologist Mascha Schultz claimed a striking absence of the general public, those not involved in politics or compelled to attend, from commemoration events.