On 7 November, BSS affiliated soldiers, along with the support from the general masses, revolted against Khaled and other officers of Bangladesh Army and snatched the power.

After the 1971 Independence War, Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the first president of Bangladesh, whose reign become increasingly unpopular among the people of the country.

This led to the rise of a left-wing insurgency by the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), whose aim was to create a socialist state through armed revolution.

His three-year long regime failed to deter the insurgency due to "his misplaced confidence on people's power".

Khaled and other officers including Col. Shafaat Jamil and Lt. Col. A. T. M. Haider staged 3 November 1975 coup, subsequently removing Khondaker Mostaq from power and detaining Zia at house.

[4] Khondaker Mostaq requested that those involved in Sheikh Mujib's assassination should be allowed to safely leave Bangladesh, which Khaled agreed to.

[4] The uprising was planned and conducted by the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha (BSS), a "vaguely socialist and egalitarian" organisation, formed by the JaSaD.

On 5 November, the BSS distributed thousands of leaflets among soldiers and urban workers accusing Mosharraf of being in leagues with India in taking over the country,[7] and preparing a general uprising.

According to the plans of the meeting, there would be two stages in the revolt, firstly to free Ziaur Rahman from detention and secondly, to implement the 12 demands of the BSS.

On the other side, Ziaur Rahman was freed from house arrest by soldiers and taken to the headquarters of the 2nd Field Artillery regiment, where he met Taher.

Haider and Khondkar Nazmul Huda left Bangabhaban to seek safety at the headquarters of the 10 Bengal Regiment.

[9] When Mosharraf, Haider and Huda arrived at the 10 Bengal Regiment headquarters, Col. Nawazesh ordered the soldiers not to harm the three officers.

[6] After Ziaur Rahman granted pay rise to the enlisted men, many of the soldiers lost interest in the uprising.

[10] On 24 November, Col. Abu Taher, the mastermind of the uprising, was arrested for high treason and murder and was put on trial, along with 33 other members of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.

Journalist Afsan Chowdhury described the uprising as the "closest that any Marxist force of whatever description in Bangladesh reached the doors of state power".