Today is the Martyred Intellectuals' Day. On this day (December 14) in 1971, Pakistan occupation forces, in collaboration with local Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakars, killed the most prominent intellectuals of Bangladesh as part of their attempt to cripple the newly emerging nation.
The Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators carried out the wholesale killing of intellectuals just two days ahead of the victory of Bangladesh 52 years ago.
The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters, however, came to know about the last brutal massacre on the Bangalees only when the Pakistani troops surrendered on December 16, 1971 and their top accomplices mostly belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chattra Shangha (now Islami Chhatra Shibir) went into hiding to resurface years later.
Most of the December 14 victims were picked up from their houses blindfolded and killed from December 10 to 14 in 1971.
Convicted killers of the intellectuals are still at large under the shelter of laws of foreign lands although the government is trying hard to bring them back for the execution of the court verdict.
Al-Badr leaders Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan are staying in the UK and the US respectively.
Officials of the Foreign Ministry said that the government is working to bring back Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan from the UK and the US.
“We are in touch with the countries where they are living in”, Seheli Sabrin, the Spokesperson to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
She said, “Since it is a legal process, we cannot give out every detail. But we are working to bring them back”.
The International Crimes Tribunal on November 3, 2013 awarded Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan death penalties to -- for abducting and killing of 18 intellectuals, including nine teachers of Dhaka University, six journalists and three doctors, days before the Independence of Bangladesh.
After the independence of Bangladesh, they fled the country and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin took shelter in the UK while Ashrafuzzaman Khan in the US. But the countries are not handing them over to Bangladesh on the plea that neither the UK nor the US support capital punishment.
Bangladesh also does not have extradition treaties with the two countries.
The Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates collaborated with Pakistan during the War of Liberation. Al-Badr their accomplices.
Renowned Dhaka University Professors Gobinda Chandra Dev, Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, Munier Chowdhury, Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, Dr Faizul Mohiuddin, journalists Selina Parvin, Shahidullah Kaiser, physicians Md Fazle Rabbi, Alim Chowdhury, Altaf Mahmud (lyricist and musician), Dr.Fazlul Haque were among the victims of the Al-Badr forces.
The lists of all the martyred intellectuals and their killers could not be completed yet even after 52 years of the Independence of Bangladesh.
Officials of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, however, said the committee to prepare the complete lists of the martyred intellectuals and the killers of the intellectuals have been working to finalise the lists.
It should be mentioned that after 49 years of the Independence of Bangladesh, in 2020, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs formed a 11-member committee to compile a list of the martyred intellectuals. The committee, in its first meeting, decided to define martyred intellectuals based on the definitions contained in Shaheed Buddhijibi Kosh published by the Bangla Academy and Banglapedia brought out by the Asiatic Society.
In March, 2021, the government published a corrected partial list of freedom fighters and a fresh list of martyred intellectuals.
The ministry, in the first phase, recognised 1,47,537 persons as freedom fighters and 191 persons as martyred intellectuals.
However, in December 1972, the government had published a partial list of 1,111 martyred intellectuals, including 991 teachers, 13 journalists, 49 physicians, 42 lawyers, and 16 writers, as victims of a systematic execution campaign carried out by the Pakistan army and their collaborators between March 25, 1971, and January 30, 1972.
To commemorate the day, the nation is set to observe the ‘Martyred Intellectuals' Day’ in a befitting manner.
National programmes have been chalked out to observe the Martyred Intellectuals Day with due homage.
On the eve of the day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on Wednesday afternoon.
As per state programme, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will place separate wreaths at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Memorial at 7.05am and 7.06am respectively.
Several television channels including Bangladesh Television (BTV) and private TV channels will air the events in connection with the day from the spot.
Led by the Liberation War Affairs Minister, members of the martyred families and the valiant freedom fighters including wounded freedom fighters will place wreaths at the Intellectuals' Memorial at 7.22am and Rayer Bazar Boddho Bhumi at 8:30am.
People of all walks of life will lay wreaths at the Intellectuals' Memorial from 8.30 am.
Different television and radio channels including Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar will hold special discussions while national dailies will publish special supplements on the day highlighting its significance.
Discussions will be held at all district and upazila levels of the country while special prayers will be offered at all mosques, temples, churches, pagodas and other places of worship marking the day.
Ruling Awami League and other political parties will also observe the day with various programmes.