Nation to Observe Martyred Intellectuals Day on Monday

The nation is set to observe the Martyred Intellectuals Day on Monday to commemorate the intellectuals killed systematically by Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators at the fag-end of the Liberation War in 1971.

On this day in 1971, the country’s renowned academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their homes, blindfolded and taken to unknown places and then brutally tortured and murdered.

Their bodies were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other killing fields in the capital.

IU set to observe Martyred Intellectual Day, Victory Day

The Pakistani forces and their local collaborators such as Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar, sensing an imminent defeat, committed cold-blooded mass murders aimed at annihilating the intelligentsia of the country and intellectually crippling the emerging Bangladesh.

Among the martyred intellectuals are Prof Munier 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.

The government has chalked out elaborate programmes to commemorate the December 14 tragedy.

Bangladesh Television and private television channels will broadcast special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.