“They probably suspected that Nath Babu had received the wind conspiracy that was hatched against the whole family of Mujib and his government was officially assigned to protect Mujib’s life and also the life of his family members,” Manash Ghosh said. Photo:
The mysterious death in 1974 in Dhaec from the leader of the Outside news agency, which served as a secret envoy to Prime Minister Indire Gandhi, was the predecessor of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975.
Veteran journalist Manash Ghosh, in his recently published book Mujib’s Blunders: The Power and the Gof for his killing, wrote that Phanindra Nath Banerjee, the joint director of the research and analytical wing (R & AW) was not found in his room at the intercontinental in Dhaka in July 1974. noted either by India or Banglidash.
“It was the mysterious death of Phanindra Nath Banerjee (popularly known as Nath Babu or PNB), a common director of research and wing analysis in Calcutta, which disrupted us, Indian correspondents based in Dhace,” writes Mr. Ghosh. Mr. Banerjee was a direct contact between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding leader Bangladesh.
“For Nath Babu, the care of his relationship with the leader like Mujib vital to his professional success. But then Mrs. Gandhi wanted his relationship with Mujib to take over both professional and personal dimensions because he was Bangladesh’s fate. Dhak.
Mr. Banerjea reportedly gained the confidence of Sheikha Mujibe’s family, including Begum Mujib, and maintained a low profile in Dhaka’s diplomatic circles and had frequent encounters with Bangladesh leaders such as Tajuddin Ahmed and Mujib’s members. His proximity to power in Bangladesh and his influential position attracted curiosity and speculation.
Mr. Ghosh claims that the serving officers – colonies, large companies and captains – allegedly involved in the conspiracy for the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were in contact with certain Western embassies in Dhace and lobbied for “regime change”. These conspirators, as they propose, may have considered Mr. Banerjee an obstacle.
“They probably suspected that Nath Babu had received a conspiracy that was hatched against the whole family of Mujib and his government was officially assigned to protect Mujib’s life and also the life of his family members.
Although Mr. Banerjee’s death was officially attributed to a heart attack, the mortem report has never been published.
“The officer responsible for Ramna Thana, who was the first of Bangladesh officials to get into his hotel room, told reporters that his higher UPS was instructed that the cause of Nath Babu’s death should not be discussed with any media representatives,” writes Mr. Ghosh. He adds that National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials in Bangladesh “remained firmly fastened and refused to entertain our phone calls”.
The author also suggests that the R & AW official could die for poisoning after eating food during a meeting with a prominent leader from the minority community in Dhaka.
Published – 27th June 2025 23:36
