Nation pays tribute to brightest shining lights on Martyred Intellectuals Day

Bangladesh is paying its respects and heartfelt tribute to the martyred intellectuals who were killed by the Pakistani occupation forces as their surrender loomed in the 1971 Liberation War.

President Md Shahabuddin and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus presented their tributes by laying wreaths at the Intellectuals' Memorial in Dhaka's Mirpur on Sunday.

At 7:03am, the president first laid a wreath at the memorial followed by the chief advisor at 7:22am.

The president and the chief advisor then stood for a moment of silence. A bugle rang out with a mournful tune and an Army contingent gave an armed salute for the departed souls.

Later, the chief advisor exchanged greetings with the family members of the martyred intellectuals, war-wounded freedom fighters, the chief justice, and members of the Advisory Council.

Sensing a humiliating defeat coming, the Pakistani occupation army and their local collaborators -- Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams -- abducted and blindfolded several respected Bengali intellectuals and professionals, including academics, doctors, engineers, journalists and teachers from their residences in Dhaka on Dec 14, 1971.

They were later murdered brutally as the occupation forces attempted to create a void in the intellectual leadership of the newborn nation.

The bodies were dumped in the "mass graves" at Mirpur and Rayerbazaar.

Bangladesh now observes Martyred Intellectuals Day on Dec 14 to commemorate the shining lights who fell victim to that brutal military regime.

In his message marking the day, President Md Shahabuddin said, “Intellectuals are one of the architects of a nation's development and progress. They play an important role in building a knowledge-based and a prosperous nation through the practice of open-mindedness, creative activities, innovative capabilities, and the development of democratic consciousness.”

"This is why, immediately before their surrender, the occupation forces, who were on the brink of defeat, carried out massacres throughout the country, including Dhaka, with the nefarious intention of demoralising the nation. They brutally abducted and killed many distinguished personalities, including the country's renowned educationists, writers, doctors, scientists, philosophers, engineers, lawyers, journalists, artists, and political thinkers. To date, Bangladesh suffers from that injury of losing some of its greatest souls at the time it was emerging as an independent country.”

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said in his message, “On the eve of the victory of the Bengali nation, the occupation forces and their collaborators brutally killed and abducted the patriotic educationists, journalists, writers, doctors, scientists, lawyers, artists, engineers, philosophers, politicians, thinkers and other talented personalities.”

"The main objective of the opponents of independence was to turn Bangladesh, which was on the verge of independence, into a failed nation by demoralising it through this planned, brutal massacre."

Highlighting the dreams of the martyred intellectuals, the chief advisor said: “Our martyred intellectuals dreamed of building a democratic, developed and prosperous Bangladesh.”

“Through the July Uprising, the current interim government has started to build such a righteous, disparity-free Bangladesh, with the entire nation on board. I believe the dream nurtured by our martyred intellectuals will be successfully implemented through this.”