Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh on Sunday solemnly observed Martyred Intellectuals’ Day, paying profound respect to the eminent intellectuals who were systematically killed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators just days before the end of the Liberation War in 1971.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin paid homage at the Martyred Intellectuals’ Memorial in Mirpur at 7:00am.
He placed a wreath and stood in silent reflection to honour the fallen intellectuals. Following him, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus also paid tribute at the memorial and observed a moment of silence.
Family members of the martyred intellectuals, freedom fighters, and people from all walks of life gathered at the Mirpur memorial and the Rayerbazar Killing Ground in Mohammadpur to lay wreaths and pay their respects.
The government, along with socio-cultural and political organisations and public universities, observed the day through various commemorative programmes.
Dhaka University marked the occasion with a series of events, including the hoisting of black flags at the Vice-Chancellor’s residence and other key university buildings.
Leaders and activists of different political and social organisations also paid homage at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard. Special doa and munajat were offered at mosques, temples and churches across the country.
Bangladesh Television and private television channels aired special programmes highlighting the significance of the day, while national newspapers published special supplements in remembrance of the martyred intellectuals.
On December 14, 1971, many of the nation’s leading academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, teachers and other eminent personalities were abducted from their homes, blindfolded, and taken to undisclosed locations.
Their bodies were later found at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and other killing fields in Dhaka.
The Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators, carried out these brutal killings in a calculated attempt to cripple the intellectual foundation of the emerging nation of Bangladesh.
Among the martyred intellectuals were Prof Munier Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Prof GC Dev, JC Guha Thakurta, Prof Santosh Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, and journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin.
