The nation observed the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day on Monday with a renewed call for resisting the anti-liberation elements and paying glowing tributes to the brilliant sons of the soil who were brutally killed by the Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators at the fag-end of the country’s Liberation War in 1971.
Sensing a humiliating defeat, the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators -- Rajakar, Al- Badr andAl-Shams -- dragged the frontline Bengali intellectuals off their houses on December 14 and assassinated them with the intention of crippling the nation intellectually.
In observance of the day, hundreds of people from all walks of life gather at the Martyred Intellectuals’ Mausoleum in Mirpur and the Rayer Bazar killing ground, maintaining the health guidelines, to pay their homage to the worthy sons of the soil.
The programmes included raising black flag and hoisting the national flag half mast, placing wreaths at the martyred intellectuals memorials and graveyards, holding discussions and mourning marches, lighting candles in memory of the martyrs, and holding Milad and Dua Mahfils seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the martyrs.
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the martyred intellectuals of 1971.
BSS reports: On behalf of President Hamid, Military Secretary Maj Gen SMShamim-uz-Zaman paid homage at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at7.10 am on Monday while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s MilitarySecretary Maj Gen Naqib Ahmed Chowdhury paid the tribute on herbehalf.
A smartly turned out contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces gave astate salute while the bugle played the last post at that time.
Later, on behalf of Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin SharminChaudhury and Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, Serjeant-at-Arms MMNaim Rahman and on behalf Liberation War Affairs Ministry AKM MozammelHaque paid homage at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial.
Besides, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport andBridges Minister Obaidul Quader along with party’s central leaderspaid homage to martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the MirpurMartyred Intellectuals Memorial at 9am.
Different political, professional, social and culturalorganisations, including Jatiya Party, BNP, Communist Party, JatiyaSamajtantrik Dal, Awami Jubo League, Bangladesh Chhatra League, AwamiMatsyjibi League, Bangladesh Swechchhasebak League, Dhaka University,Dhaka University Teachers’ Association, Bangabandhu Sainik League,Jatiya Sramik League, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, KendrioKhelaghor Asor, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, Dhakasouth and north city corporations, Dhaka city south unit of AwamiLeague, different ward units of Awami League, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote, Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad, Muktijoddha Sanghati Parishad andDhaka Reporters’ Unity also paid homage to the martyred intellectuals.
Later, Obaidul Quader, on behalf of Awami League, also paid tributesto Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by laying awreath at his portrait at Dhanmondi road number 32 in the city at9.30am.
AL Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Dr Md Abdur Razzaque,Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Shajahan Khan and Abdur Rahman, Joint Secretaries Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Mahbubul-Alam Hanifand AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretaries Ahmed Hossain, SMKamal Hossain and Mirza Azam, Relief and Social Welfare AffairsSecretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Cultural Affairs Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil,Labour Affairs Secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, Health and PopulationAffairs Secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana, Science and Technology AffairsSecretary Abdus Sabur, Deputy Office Secretary Sayem Khan, CentralWorking Committee Members Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Shahabuddin Farazi and Anisur Rahman were present at that time.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque at first paidhomage to the martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at theRayerbazar Killing ground in the morning. Later, different political,professional, social and cultural organisations, including AwamiLeague, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League, Sramik League and ChhatraLeague placed wreaths at the Rayerbazar Killing Ground.
Marking the day, Dhaka University authorities organised a virtualdiscussion at the university’s Abdul Matin Virtual Class Room withVice Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman in the chair.
Earlier, national flag was hoisted half-mast and black flag wasraised on the campus. Later, a special munajat was offered at thecentral mosque of the university seeking eternal peace of the departedsouls of the most enlightened sons of the soil.
Besides, Islamic Foundation organised Quran Khwani, milad and doamahfil at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque where special prayers(munajat) and doa were offered for eternal peace of the departed soulsof the martyrs.
The Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking collaboratorsbelonging to Razakar or other auxiliary forces killed a number of intelligentsia throughout the nine-month long Liberation War.
But, they visibly engaged the infamous Gestapo like Al-Badr andAl-Shams forces on December 14, 1971 to carry out a systematiccampaign to kill the most eminent academics and professionals likedoctors, engineers and journalists to make the newborn nation to astate of brainlessness.
The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters,however, came to know about their last brutal massacre only when thePakistani troops surrendered on December 16, 1971 and their topaccomplices mostly belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wingwent into hiding to resurface years later.
Those who were exposed to the killers’ wrath on December 14, 1971included Dr Alim Chowdhury and Dr Fazle Rabbi, Journalists ShahidullahKaisar, Sirajudddin Hossain, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan and SelinaParveen and litterateur Munir Choudhury.
Most of the December 14 victims were picked up from theirresidences blindfolded and killed between December 10 and 14 in 1971.
