Rich tributes to martyred intellectuals

Today is December 14. Martyred Intellectuals Day. The biggest mourning day for the nation of Bengali. This day in 1971, at the fag-end of the War of Liberation, the Pakistan army in collusion with their quislings the para-military force, Al-Badr, picked up and killed the cream of Bangladesh`s intelligentsia.

The Pakistani occupation army and their local collaborators sensed an imminent defeat. As a result, they planned to kill the intellectuals at the fag-end of the War of Liberation to cripple the Bengalis aspiring after nationhood.

Renowned academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their homes, blindfolded, and taken to unknown places to be brutally tortured and slaughtered. Their bodies were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other killing fields in the capital.

The cold-blooded mass murders were carried out under a carefully thought-out plan to cripple the emerging Bangladesh intellectually.

Among the martyred intellectuals are Prof Munir 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, journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin.

Commemorating the December 14 we pay respects to martyred intellectuals and deep sympathy to bereaved families.

After the independence of the country, Zahir Raihan disappeared on 30 January 1972 as he was trying to locate his brother, the famous writer Shahidullah Kaiser, who was captured and killed by the Pakistan army and/or local collaborators. His death was mysterious.

Al-Badr chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was convicted of war crimes and killing intellectuals by International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). His death penalty was executed last May 11. Another Al-Badr leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid was hanged on November 22, 2015.

We should not stop. All criminals who (those are outside of trial and have gone missing) were involved in the killing of intellectuals will be brought under judgment in a bid to make the country curse free.

risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 14, 2016/NA/Mukul