Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 106th birthday is today. He was born on this day in 1920 in Tungipara, Gopalganj district. His father was Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, mother was Sayera Khatun.
Bangabandhu's political career began in 1940 by joining the All India Muslim Students Federation. In 1946, he was elected the general secretary of the Kolkata Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College) Students Union. On January 4, 1948, he founded the East Pakistan Muslim Students League. After that, he became the undisputed leader of Bengalis by leading the six-point movement of '66, the mass uprising of '69, and the elections of '70.
Sheikh Mujib was killed along with his family by some army officers at his residence in Dhanmondi on August 15, 1975. Sheikh Mujib also played an important role in the 1952 Language Movement, the 1954 United Front elections, and the 1962 Education Movement.
On March 7, 1971, standing in the then Race Course Maidan (present-day Suhrawardy Udyan) in front of a sea of people, he declared in a thunderous voice, "This time, this struggle is our struggle for liberation, this time, this struggle is our struggle for independence." Responding to this historic call, the entire Bengali nation united and jumped into the liberation war that day. Through a 9-month armed liberation war, the brave Bengalis snatched victory on December 16, 1971. Independent sovereign Bangladesh was born.