President, PM pay tributes to martyred intellectuals

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur in the capital, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

On behalf of President Hamid, Military Secretary Maj Gen SM Shamim-uz-Zaman paid homage at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at 7.10 am on Monday.
Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Military Secretary Maj Gen Naqib Ahmed Chowdhury paid the tribute on her behalf.

The day is being observed on a limited scale due to fresh surge of the COVID-19 cases.

BSS Adds: Just two days ahead of the country’s final victory for independence on this day 49 years back, the Pakistani occupation forces with the help of their local collaborators – Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams – killed the most prominent intellectuals of the country.

As many as 200 illustrious sons of the soil, including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers and writers, were abducted from their respective residences blindfolded during December 10 to 14 in 1971.

They were taken blindfolded to torture cells at Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the city.

Subsequently they were put to death en masse at different killing grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur, in a bid to cripple the newly emerging Bangladesh intellectually.

Those who were exposed to the killers’ wrath on December 14, 1971 included Dr Alim Chowdhury and Dr Fazle Rabbi, Journalists Shahidullah Kaisar, Sirajuddin Hossain, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan and Selina Parveen, and litterateur Munier Choudhury.

Since then, the day is being observed as the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

ALM/TF