Today, December 14, Bangladesh observes Martyred Intellectuals Day, commemorating one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history. On this day in 1971, as victory in the Liberation War approached, the Pakistani military, aided by local collaborators including Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams members, carried out a brutal campaign to eliminate the country’s intellectual elite. Scholars, doctors, engineers, journalists, writers, artists, and political thinkers were systematically targeted in this premeditated massacre. The aim was to deprive the newly emerging nation of its brightest minds.
Two days after this atrocity, on December 16, the Pakistani forces, led by General Niazi, surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh. The bodies of the martyred intellectuals, many showing signs of torture and mutilation, were recovered from Mirpur and Rayerbazar, while many others remained missing.
Among the slain were prominent faculty members from Dhaka University, including A. N. M. Munir Chowdhury, Dr. Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, Abdul Muktadir, Dr. G. C. Dev, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, Anwar Pasha, S. M. Rashidul Hasan, Dr. Shahadat Ali, Dr. M. A. Khair, A. R. Khan Khadim, Dr. N. M. Faizul Mahi, Fazlur Rahman Khan, A. N. M. Muniruzzaman, Dr. Sirajul Haque Khan, Md. Sadek, Sharafat Ali, Giasuddin Ahmed, Anudweipan Bhattacharya, as well as Rajshahi University professors Mir Abdul Qayyum, Habibur Rahman, Sukharanjan Samaddar, and Dr. Abul Kalam Azad.
Journalists including Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Khondkar Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, A. N. M. Golam Mostafa, Shahid Saber, Sheikh Abdul Mannan (Ladu), Syed Nazmul Haque, M. Akhtar, Abul Basar, Chishti Helalur Rahman, Shibsadan Chakraborty, and Selina Parveen were also killed. Renowned artists and writers such as Altaf Mahmud, Purnendu Dastidar, Meherunnesa, and Danbir Randa Prasad were among the victims.
On this day, President Md. Sahabuddin and Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus have issued separate statements paying tribute to the fallen intellectuals. Today at 7:00 a.m., the President and Chief Adviser will lay wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur. Following this, members of the families of the martyred, war-injured freedom fighters, and veterans will also pay respects at Mirpur and Rayerbazar memorials. District and upazila-level discussions and programs will highlight the significance of the day, and citizens, along with various political and social organizations, will offer flowers at the memorials throughout the day.
The nation pays solemn tribute to its brightest sons and daughters who were martyred during the Liberation War of 1971.
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