Remembering our martyred intellectuals 

Every year on December 14, the nation remembers them with deep respect by observing Martyred Intellectuals Day. This day reminds us of the language of protest along with mourning. This massacre proves how vile and cowardly a defeated power can be. The intellectual massacre is not just a historical event, it is an eternal lament of our national life. The Bengali nation must carry this mournful memory forever. Their sacrifice inspires us to build a prosperous and non-communal Bangladesh, the dream they had. This massacre is a blazing example of crimes against humanity, the trial of which was later completed at the International Crimes Tribunal.

The brutal massacre of intellectuals of Bangladesh by the Pakistani occupying forces and their local allies (Rajakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams) on and around December 14, 1971, was a well-planned conspiracy to break the backbone of a newly independent nation. This incident was not just a murder, it was a heinous attempt to nip the future prospects of a nation in the bud.

This year (2025) the Martyred Intellectuals Day is being celebrated in the context of the upcoming national elections. Like every year, this year too, a national program has been taken up by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. People from different walks of life will pay tribute to the martyred intellectuals. Overall, the Martyred Intellectuals Day carries special significance

From the beginning of December 1971, the trajectory of the Liberation War began to change. The Pakistani army was cornered by the combined forces of the Allied Forces and the Liberation Army. The fall of Dhaka was only a matter of time. The Pakistani military junta and their local allies realized that their defeat was inevitable. That's when they began the most shameful chapter in the nation's history. On December 14, just two days before victory, the Pakistani occupying forces and their local allies selectively and brutally killed the best sons of the Bengali nation. This massacre was a premeditated, intentional and an unprecedented example of extreme brutality. The main reasons and motives for the killing of intellectuals were very far-reaching and indicative of a diabolical mind. They knew that the most needed for the reconstruction of a war-torn country were educated, talented and thoughtful people. So they adopted a plan that could stop the progress of independent Bangladesh forever. Their goal was clear: to prevent the new state from standing tall, its intellectual foundation must be completely destroyed. The main objective was to destroy the thinking, thinking and leadership of a newly independent nation forever. They believed that teachers, doctors, engineers, writers, journalists and artists were the driving force of society and the future architects. If they were removed, the Bengali nation would be paralyzed.

Through this atrocity, they wanted to create extreme fear among the rest of the population, so that the joy of gaining independence would fade and the nation would be mentally broken.

Bengali intellectuals played a leading role in every democratic and cultural movement from the language movement to the liberation war. They worked to build the Bengali nation. Pakistanis were afraid of this cultural awakening and this murder was the last attempt to silence that awakening.

Details of the atrocity - General Rao Farman Ali of the Pakistani army and the assassination squads formed under his orders-Al-Badr and Al-Shams-played the main role in implementing the plan. These forces, made up of members of the student union, were the most dangerous.
The killers began to pick up intellectuals from house to house on December 10th, drawing up lists. However, the atrocities reached their peak on December 14th. According to a specific plan, the Al-Badr members blindfolded professors, doctors, journalists and engineers from different areas of Dhaka in the dark of night. For this purpose, they used lists obtained from their friends in the then East Pakistan.

The abductees were taken to various torture centers and slaughterhouses in Dhaka. Among the main slaughterhouses, Rayerbazar slaughterhouse and Mirpur were notable. Here, demonic torture was inflicted on them. The best sons of the nation were brutally killed by tying their hands and feet, gouging out their eyes, piercing them with bayonets, and shooting them. After the massacre, every effort was made to make the bodies unidentifiable. Many bodies were buried in mass graves so that no trace of them remained.

After the victory, when journalists and photographers reached Rayerbazar slaughterhouse on December 17, the scene they saw was indescribable. Piled bodies next to the brick kiln, blindfolded, with clear signs of torture on their bodies. The world was shocked to see that scene.

A few names, thousands of sacrifices: We have lost our brightest minds in this massacre. Among them are - Educationists - 991 people (university, college and school teachers): Professor Muhammad Muniruzzaman, Professor Gobind Chandra Deb (GC Deb), Professor Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, Professor Anwar Pasha. Physicians - 49 people: Dr. Fazle Rabbi, Dr. Abdul Alim Chowdhury. Journalists (13 people): Shahid Saber, Sirajuddin Hossain, Nizam Uddin Ahmed, ANM Golam Mostafa. Writers, artists, engineers (16 people): Selina Parveen, Altaf Mahmud.

These names are just the tip of the iceberg. The actual number of martyrs is still difficult to determine, according to various documentary evidence and Banglapedia, the number of intellectuals killed in 1971 is estimated to be 1,111. It is worth noting that a hit list of about 3,000 intellectuals was found in the diary of Major General Rao Farman Ali.

There are several documentary books and government documents on the killing of martyred intellectuals in the 1971 Liberation War. One thing was clear in each book that this killing was a planned attempt to demoralize the Bengali nation. The following documentary books are helpful to know in detail about the lives, works and killings of martyred intellectuals:

Smriti 1971 (series) - Rashid Haider. Genocide and World Opinion - Fazlul Quader. Midnight Massacre in Dhaka - Sukharanjan Dasgupta. Rifle, Roti, Aurat - Martyred Intellectual Anwar Pasha. The Blood Telegram - Nixon, Kissinger. A Forgotten Genocide - Gary J. Byas. 1971 - Genocide-Torture Various books and research articles published by the Archive and Museum Trust. Diary of 1971 - Sufia Kamal. In addition, "" Recognising the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide " published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh and other publications published by the Liberation War Museum are also important.
The atrocities of the murderers of the martyred intellectuals and the demand for anger and justice against them emerge from the comments, poems and statements of individuals and poets-literate people. These statements mainly reveal the heinous plans of the murderers, hatred towards them and the greatness of the martyrs' sacrifice. 

Tajuddin Ahmed - was the first to declare December 14 as 'Martyred Intellectuals Day' and called this massacre a pre-planned conspiracy to demoralize the Bengali nation. 

This incident of December 14 has created a deep wound in the hearts of Bengalis. This massacre was an irreparable loss for the newly independent state. The talented people who used to lead education, culture, science and economy in the independent country were mercilessly wiped out.