Bangladesh commemorates Martyred Intellectuals Day

Bangladesh commemorates Martyred Intellectuals Day on Saturday to honor the esteemed individuals who were systematically targeted and murdered by Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators in the final days of the 1971 Liberation War. On this solemn day in 1971, prominent figures such as scholars, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, and educators were forcibly taken from their homes, blindfolded, transported to secret locations, subjected to inhumane torture, and brutally killed. Their bodies were discarded at sites like Rayerbazar, Mirpur, and other killing fields across Dhaka.

As defeat became imminent, the Pakistani forces, along with collaborators from Al-Badr, Al-Shams, and Razakars, orchestrated these atrocities to eradicate the intellectual backbone of the emerging nation of Bangladesh.

The list of martyred intellectuals includes notable figures such as 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 programs to observe the day.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus will lay wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur at 7:05 am and 7:06 am, respectively. These events will be broadcast live on Bangladesh Television and other private channels.

Families 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 Mirpur Memorial at 7:22 am and later at the Rayerbazar killing field (Baddhobhumi) at 8:30 am. According to an official press release, people from various political and social organizations, as well as the general public, will begin paying homage at the memorial from 8:30 am onward.

Special prayers and munajats will be held in mosques, temples, churches, pagodas, and other places of worship. The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has urged everyone to refrain from using loudspeakers near the memorials to preserve the solemnity of the occasion.

To mark the day, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced that party leaders and activists would pay tribute at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial on the morning of December 14. Other political parties and cultural organizations have also planned commemorative programs.

Traffic Instructions by DMP

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has issued traffic advisories for Martyred Intellectuals Day to ensure smooth movement in key areas. Between 4:00 am and 9:30 am, high-ranking officials, including the President, Chief Adviser, Chief Justice, advisory council members, foreign diplomats, and leaders of various organizations, will visit the Mirpur Memorial.

To manage traffic flow, 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 between Mazar Road Crossing and Mirpur 1 Crossing during this period.