On 15 August 1975, a group of junior army officers, using tanks, stormed the presidential residence and assassinated Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with his family and personal staff. Only his daughters, Sheikh Hasina Wajed and Sheikh Rehana escaped as they were in West Germany at the time and consequently were banned from returning to Bangladesh. The coup was orchestrated by a faction within the Awami League, including some of Mujib's former allies and military officers, notably Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who then assumed the presidency. The incident sparked widespread speculation, including allegations of involvement by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with journalist Lawrence Lifschultz suggesting CIA complicity,^[27] based on statements from the US ambassador in Dhaka at the time, Eugene Booster.^[28] The assassination of Mujib led Bangladesh into a prolonged period of political instability, marked by successive coups and counter-coups, along with numerous political assassinations that left the country in disarray. Stability began to return when army chief Ziaur Rahman took control following a coup in 1977. After declaring himself president in 1978, Zia enacted the Indemnity Ordinance, providing legal immunity to those involved in planning and executing Mujib's assassination.