Bangladesh marks “martyred intellectuals day”

DHAKA, Dec. 14 (NsNewsWire) –Amid demands for trial of war criminals, Bangladesh (today) Saturday marked ‘martyred intellectuals day’, recalling the brutal killing of leading Bengali academics and professionals during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Black flags dominated the skyline while the national flag flew at half mast as thousands of people thronged the ‘martyred intellectuals monument’ in Dhaka’s Mirpur.

Amid military honour guards, Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the nation in paying homage to intellectuals who were murdered in Rayer Bazar area just two days before the victory of Bangladesh on Dece. 16, 1971.

They placed wreaths on the Intellectual Martyrs Mausoleum as army buglers played the Last Post, marking the 42nd anniversary of the Martyred Intellectuals Day. The national flag was flown at half mast across the country.

Renowned academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their homes, blindfolded, and taken to unknown places to be brutally tortured and slaughtered. Their bodies were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other killing fields in the capital.

The cold-blooded mass murders were carried out under a carefully thought-out plan to cripple the emerging Bangladesh intellectually, as the Pakistani occupation army and their local collaborators sensed an imminent defeat.

Among the martyred intellectuals are Prof Muneir 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.