Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid her respects on Wednesday to Shaheed Sheikh Russell, the youngest son of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on what would have been his 60th birthday. Russell, the younger brother of Prime Minister Hasina, was tragically killed alongside Bangabandhu and many family members in a brutal attack on August 15, 1975, when he was just 10 years old and attending the University Laboratory School as a fourth-grade student.
Since 2021, October 18 is recognized as Sheikh Russell Day, following a decision made by the Cabinet Division. On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Hasina, accompanied by her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, visited the Banani graveyard. They laid a wreath at Russell’s grave and scattered flower petals on the graves of all the martyrs from Bangabandhu’s family.
During their visit, Hasina and Rehana offered fateha, a prayer for the deceased, and participated in a special munahat, a religious supplication, to seek eternal peace for the souls of their father, Bangabandhu, mother, Bangamata, and other victims of the tragic events of August 15, 1975. The prime minister and her sister narrowly escaped the violence as they were abroad at the time.
Sheikh Russell was born on October 18, 1964, at the historic Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi Road number 32 in the capital. He was given his name by Bangabandhu himself and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, and it was inspired by Bangabandhu’s admiration for the renowned philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell.
To commemorate this day, various government agencies, the ruling Awami League, its affiliated organizations, and different socio-cultural groups have organized diverse programs both at home and abroad.
