United News of Bangladesh

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday (December 14, 2025) voiced concern that incidents similar to the gun attack on Sharif Osman Hadi may recur, warning that the enemies of Bangladesh are once again resorting to targeted killings in an attempt to destabilise the country. “When Bangladesh is seeing a new sun and moving towards a new chapter, and when the people of Bangladesh are dreaming of building a democratic country through a fair election, at that very time its enemies have once again indulged in a killing spree,” he said. The BNP leader made the remarks while talking to reporters after paying tributes to the martyred intellectuals at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur in the morning. He said their party strongly condemned the attack on Dhaka-8 independent candidate Sharif Osman Hadi. “We fear that similar incidents may happen again,” Fakhrul said. Read more: What we know about at least one of Hadi's would-be assassins Osman Hadi was shot in Dhaka on Friday, a day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary election and referendum, leaving him seriously injured. He is currently undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital with a bullet injury to his head. Recalling the history of December 14, Fakhrul said when the defeat of the Pakistani occupation forces became inevitable and the Liberation War forces surrounded Dhaka, the occupation army, with the help of their collaborators, abducted and killed the nation’s brightest minds to destroy Bangladesh intellectually. “They picked up university teachers, doctors, researchers, writers, journalists and many others and killed them. It was a planned massacre aimed at making the nation intellectually weak,” he said. Fakhrul said the nation remembers this painful history every year on this day. Read more: Tarique Rahman to return on Dec 25 after 18 years in exile On behalf of party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, who is currently ill, and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, he said they came to the memorial to pay homage to the martyred intellectuals, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day. “We have taken an oath that, at any cost, we will protect Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty and move the democratic journey forward,” Fakhrul said. He paid deep respect to all those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence and democracy, and also remembered BNP founder and proclaimer of independence, martyred President Ziaur Rahman, for his role in bringing fundamental changes to Bangladesh. The BNP leader also remembered the young people who were killed during the mass uprising in 2024. BNP senior leaders and leaders and activists of its Dhaka city units and affiliated organisations were present there. Read more: Roots of Hadi's would-be assassins to be uprooted: Attorney General

The nation is observing the ‘Martyred Intellectuals Day’ in a befitting manner on Sunday (December 14, 2025) to commemorate the intellectuals killed systematically by Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators at the fag-end of the Liberation War in 1971. Marking the day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin paid homage to the nation's intellectuals at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur at 7am. Later, he stood there silently for a while. Followed by the President, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus also paid tribute to the nation's finest intellectuals and observed a silence for a while there.   Later, all walks of life were allowed to pay tribute to the valiant people of the country who were systematically killed the Pakistan occupation forces, in collaboration with their auxiliary forces. Read more: Jamaat Ameer calls on nation to observe Martyred Intellectuals Day, Victory Day with due respect On this day in 1971, the country’s renowned academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their homes, blindfolded and taken to unknown places and then brutally tortured and murdered. Their bodies were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other killing fields in the capital. Sensing an imminent defeat, the Pakistani forces and their local collaborators like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar committed the cold-blooded mass murders aiming to annihilate the country's intelligentsia and cripple emerging Bangladesh intellectually. Among the martyred intellectuals are 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, journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin. The interim government has chalked out elaborate programmes to commemorate the December 14 tragedy. Read more: Nation to observe Martyred Intellectuals Day on Sunday The family members of the martyred intellectuals and freedom fighters are paying homage to the martyred intellectuals marking the day. On the eve of the day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus issued separate messages on the occasion of the day. Leaders and activists of different political and social organisations are also paying homage to the martyred intellectuals at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard. Special doa and munajat are scheduled to be offered at mosques, temples and churches marking the day. Bangladesh Television and private television channels are broadcasting special programmes highlighting the significance of the day. Read more: President Shahabuddin, Prof Yunus pay tributes to martyred intellectuals National dailies also published special supplements marking the day.