Who was Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina's father and founder of Bangladesh?

Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister amid unrest in Bangladesh and fled to India. She lived in exile for a while after her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and her mother, three brothers, and other family members were assassinated on August 15, 1975, which was nearly 48 years ago. Rahman, known as "Bangabandhu," was assassinated by a group of Bangladesh Army soldiers who broke into his Dhanmondi 32 home as part of a coup.

Rahman was the first president of an independent Bangladesh. Following his murder, which signalled the commencement of the country's first overt military involvement in civilian politics in Bangladesh, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, the minister of commerce, took over and proclaimed himself the leader of the provisional administration, a post he held until November 6, 1975. From April 1971 until his murder, Mujib held the positions of prime minister and president of Bangladesh during his political career.

Sheikh Mujib's Awami League party won almost all of the seats in what was then East Pakistan in the general election of 1970 when Pakistan was still divided. East Pakistan later became Bangladesh. Mujib successfully led East Pakistan despite the Pakistani military's intransigence in transferring authority.

He was taken into custody by Pakistani soldiers on March 25, 1971, the day after Bangladesh declared its independence, marking the beginning of the country's liberation struggle. Following the capitulation of the Pakistani forces on December 16, Mujib was free.