C T Online Desk: Bangladesh observes Martyred Intellectuals Day on Saturday to honor the brilliant individuals systematically murdered by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators during the final days of the Liberation War in 1971.
On this day in 1971, prominent scholars, physicians, engineers, journalists, artists, educators, and other distinguished figures were forcibly taken from their homes. They were blindfolded, transported to undisclosed locations, brutally tortured, and executed.
Their bodies were subsequently discarded at sites like Rayerbazar, Mirpur, and other killing fields across Dhaka.
As defeat loomed, the Pakistani forces and their local collaborators, including Al-Badr, Al-Shams, and Razakars, orchestrated these heinous killings to eliminate the country’s intellectuals and incapacitate the newly emerging Bangladesh.
Among the martyred intellectuals were 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, and journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq, and Selina Parvin.
The interim government has organized various events to mark the day.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus will place wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur at 7:05 am and 7:06 am, respectively.
The programs will be broadcast live on Bangladesh Television and other private channels.
Family members of the victims, veteran freedom fighters, and injured freedom fighters, led by Liberation War Affairs Adviser Farooq-e-Azam, will pay their respects at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at 7:22 am and at the Rayer Bazar killing field (Baddhobhumi) at 8:30 am.
An official government press release stated that people from all walks of life, including various political and social organizations, will also pay homage at the memorial from 8:30 am onwards.
Special prayers and munajats will be held at mosques, temples, churches, pagodas, and other places of worship.
The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has requested that loudspeakers not be used in the
vicinity of the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial to maintain the sanctity of the day.
To commemorate the day, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced that the party’s leaders and activists would pay tribute at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial on the morning of December 14.
Other political parties and social and cultural organizations will also observe the day with appropriate programs.
Traffic movement instructions by DMP
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has issued traffic guidelines for Martyred Intellectuals Day on December 14.
According to the guidelines, high-ranking officials, including the President, Chief Adviser, Chief Justice, advisory council members, foreign diplomats, and leaders of various organizations, will pay their respects at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial between 4 am and 9:30 am.
To ensure smooth traffic management, alternative routes have been recommended for buses, trucks, covered vans, cars, microbuses, CNG three-wheelers, and rickshaw vans. Travelers are advised to avoid the Mirpur Mazar Road area from Mazar Road Crossing to Mirpur 1 Crossing during this time.
