Nation paying homage to martyred intellectuals

The nation is observing the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day today (Saturday) in a befitting manner.

Just two days ahead of the country’s victory for independence on this day of 1971, 48 years ago, the marauding Pakistan army in collusion with their local collaborators – Al- Badr, Al-Shams and Razakars – killed the most prominent intellectuals of the country in a bid to cripple the newly emerging nation of Bangladesh.

A memorial erected in memory of the martyred intellectuals at Mirpur in the capital has been covered in flowers as national leaders and people from all walks of life are paying tributes by placing wreaths there.

The Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking collaborators belonging 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 and Al-Shams forces on December 14, 1971 to carry out a systematic campaign to kill the most eminent academics and professionals like doctors, engineers and journalists to make the newborn nation to a state of brainlessness.

The then Bangladesh government and victorious freedom fighters, however, came to know about their last brutal massacre only when the Pakistani troops surrendered on December 16, 1971 and their top accomplices mostly belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing went into hiding to resurface years later.

Those who were exposed to the killers’ wrath on December 14, 1971 included Dr Alim  Chowdhury and Dr Fazle Rabbi, Journalists Shahidullah Kaisar, Sirajudddin Hossain, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan and Selina Parveen and litterateur Monier Choudhury.
Most of the December 14 victims were picked up from their residences blindfolded and killed during December 10 to 14 in 1971.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of the day, paying homage to the martyred intellectuals.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in city’s Mirpur area this morning.

Members of martyred and freedom fighters also placed wreaths at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial and Rayerbazar Killing Ground at Mohammadpur in the morning.
People from all walks of life are too placing wreaths at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial, honouring the greatest souls of the nation.

Dhaka/Mukul