In a solemn commemoration, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid heartfelt tributes to the martyred intellectuals and the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on Martyred Intellectuals Day.
The President laid a wreath at the memorial at 7:05 am, honoring those who lost their lives just days before Bangladesh’s final victory during the War of Liberation in 1971. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also paid homage by laying a wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur, followed by a visit to Dhanmondi Road No 32 to honor Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
President Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Hasina stood in solemn silence as the bugle played the last post, reflecting their profound respect for the martyred intellectuals. The day marks the brutal killing of numerous intellectuals, including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers, by Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators just two days before Bangladesh’s independence.
On December 14, 1971, those abducted were taken to torture cells in various locations in Dhaka and subsequently mass-executed at different killing grounds, notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur. The commemoration also included the President exchanging pleasantries with the families of the martyred intellectuals and Prime Minister Hasina laying a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
