Book traces plots that removed Sheikh Mujib and Sheikh Hasina

A new book by veteran journalist Manash Ghosh argues that Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, were both removed from power through conspiracies involving domestic and international actors. The book, *Mujib’s Blunders: The Power and the Plot Behind His Killing*, covers the period from 1971 to 1975.

Frontline reports that Ghosh, a former Dhaka bureau chief of The Statesman, details Mujib’s post-independence governance failures. The book says Mujib centralised power, curbed dissent, and accommodated pro-Pakistan elements. Ghosh suggests Zulfikar Ali Bhutto sowed mistrust between Mujib and his first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, whom Ghosh describes as underappreciated. The book notes a shift from secular ideals to Islamic identity under Mujib, fuelling religious fundamentalism.

Mujib was assassinated on August 15, 1975. Ghosh argues the leader failed to read warning signs. Frontline says the book presents Mujib’s decisions as choices that weakened Bangladesh’s foundations. The book is published by Paper Missile Books, priced at Rs 795.