The nation observed the Martyred Intellectuals Day on Tuesday to commemorate the intellectuals killed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators in 1971 by paying rich tributes to the greatest sons of the soil.
In the morning, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals.
On behalf of the head of the state, his military secretary Major General S M Salah Uddin Islam placed a wreath at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, her military secretary Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury laid a wreath at the monument.
Besides, both the President and the Prime Minister issued separate messages on this occasion.
Apart from the family members of the martyred and freedom fighters, the general public also placed wreaths at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in the morning.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Martyred Intellectuals Day, various cultural organisations in Bangladesh on Monday organised various cultural programmes and paid floral tributes to those men of letters killed by the Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the Liberation War.
Bangladesh Television and private television channels also aired special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
On December 14, 1971, many of the country’s renowned academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers were dragged out of their homes across the country, blindfolded and taken to unknown places, and then brutally tortured and killed.
Their bodies were later dumped in the Rayerbazar area of Mirpur in the capital.
Sensing an imminent defeat, the Pakistani forces and local collaborators like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar forces committed the cold-blooded mass murders to annihilate the country's intelligentsia and cripple emerging Bangladesh intellectually.
Among the martyred intellectuals were Prof Munier Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Prof GC Dev, JC GuhaThakurta, Prof Santosh Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (LaduBhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin.
Like all the government bodies and organisations, ruling Bangladesh Awami League, maino opposition in the National Parliament Jatiya Party, BNP, Communist Party of Bangladesh and other political, social and cultural organisations paid glowing tributes to martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at Rayer Bazar killing ground here marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.
Awami League leaders placed wreaths at the Rayer Bazar killing ground in the morning.
After paying tributes, Mahbubul Alam Hanif said Pakistan should to seek apology for committing crimes against humanity and brutal massacre in 1971.
"Pakistan should to make an apology to Bangladesh for conducting crimes against humanity in 1971," he said.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said the anti-liberation forces, along with international conspirators, are hatching conspiracies against Bangladesh even during the golden jubilee of the country's independence.
Hasan said sensing a humiliating defeat, the retreating Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators - Rajakars, Al- Badrs and Al-Shams- dragged off the frontline Bangalee intellectuals and worthy professionals from their houses on December 14 and assassinated them with the intention of crippling the newborn nation intellectually.
He said the defeated forces are still plotting even during the golden jubilee of independence of the country along with their international conspirators who were against the freedom of Bangladesh. And some recent incidents proved it, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
Besides, AL's Dhaka city north and south units, Awami Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, Workers Party, Jatiya Party, Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Dhaka Reporters Unity, Crime Reporters Association, Shilpakala Academy, Nazrul Institute, Supreme Court Bar Association, Udichi Shilpigosthi, Kendrio Khelaghor Asar, Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, National University, Lalmatia Girls School and Mohammadpur Girls High School and teachers, students and guardians of over 100 educational institutions paid homage to martyred intellectuals at Rayer Bazar killing ground.
Later, Awami League leaders paid glowing tributes to the martyred intellectuals by placing wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur here this morning, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.
Bangladesh was created with the spirit of the liberation war, he said, adding that Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) proclaimed: "The struggle this time is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time is a struggle for our independence" foiling all the national and international intrigues.
