Awami League paid tribute at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day today. Awami League president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with party leaders, paid tribute to the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 by placing wreaths. They stood there in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the illustrious sons and daughters of the soil. Read: Nation recalls illustrious sons and daughters on Martyred Intellectuals Day Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader; presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Dr. Abdur Razzak, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Shajahan Khan; Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dr. Hasan Mahmud, AFM Bahauddin Nashim, Organizing Secretary Ahmed Hossain, Advocate Afzal Hossain, Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, Science and Technology Secretary Engineer Abdus Sabur and others were present. Earlier, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tribute at the Martyr Intellectual Memorial in Mirpur.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day. The President and then the Prime Minister placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur. They stood there in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the illustrious sons of the soil. A smartly-turned-out contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces gave a state salute. Flanked by the party's central leaders, Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial as the party chief. Later, the Prime Minister talked to the war-wounded freedom fighters and the family members of the martyred intellectuals. Hasina then went to Dhanmondi in the capital and placed a wreath at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day. After placing the wreath, she stood there for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence of Bangladesh. On the night of December 14, 1971, over 200 intellectuals including educationists, journalists, litterateurs, writers, physicians, scientists, lawyers, artists, philosophers and political thinkers had been picked up in Dhaka by the Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators. The intellectuals were taken blindfold to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the city and later executed en masse at different killing grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur. Since then, the day has been observed as the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

The nation is set to observe the Martyred Intellectuals Day on Wednesday to commemorate the intellectuals killed systematically by Pakistan occupation forces and their local collaborators at the fag-end of the Liberation War in 1971. 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. Read more: Bangladesh observing Martyred Intellectuals Day 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 government has chalked out elaborate programmes to commemorate the December 14 tragedy. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on this occasion. President Hamid in a message said, “I call upon all to play an effective role from their respective position to build ‘Sonar Bangla’ imbued with the sacrifice of the Martyred Intellectuals and spirit of the Liberation War.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message urged all irrespective of party affiliation to get united against the killers of 1971, war criminal Jamaat, fundamentalists and  perform their duties from their respective positions to continue the development spree of the country by resisting all conspiracies of anti-democratic forces. Read more: Nation set to observe Martyred Intellectuals Day Tuesday Bangladesh Television and private television channels will broadcast special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) held two virtual events, one on December 14 in remembrance of martyred intellectuals of Bangladesh, and on December 16, celebrating 50 years of victory on the Victory Day. Akku Chowdhury, valiant freedom fighter and a founding trustee member of the Liberation War Museum, was the keynote speaker at the Victory Day event. "We fought to ensure the freedom of all citizens, irrespective of their race, religion and gender. It is time for us to reflect whether we have truly been able to establish that freedom today. During the war, our weapon we fought with guns, but today the weapon for moving forward is technology," Akku said.   Also read: UN lauds Bangladesh’s massive successes as it celebrates Victory Day He added, “We have to stand out in the modern world by utilizing the benefits of Digital Bangladesh that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given to you all.” In his introductory speech, ULAB’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Imran Rahman highlighted the country's achievements in the 50th year of the great victory. "We have built a prosperous country in the last fifty years. The task of bringing the country to the peak of prosperity in the next fifty years must be done by the youth of our society," he said. ULAB’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Shamsad Mortuza, said “At the time of independence, about 80 per cent of the people of Bangladesh were below the poverty line. Today that has completely changed. Eighty per cent of the population now live above the poverty line. But we cannot avoid our responsibility to the remaining 20 percent of people who still live below the poverty line.” On December 14, Dr Md Fazle Rabbi and Dr Jahanara Rabbi's daughter, Dr Nusrat Rabbi was the keynote speaker of the program 'Remembering Martyred Intellectuals, The Spirit of 1971: A Discussion'. ULAB Board of Trustees member Ms. Ameena Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Imran Rahman, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor professor Shamsad Mortuza spoke on the occasion. Also read: Bangladesh set to celebrate 51st Victory Day Thursday In their speeches, they all highlighted the irreparable loss the country has had, due to the killings of the intellectuals. They all thanked Dr Nusrat Rabbi for her presenting her father’s story through her book for the entire country to know and appreciate. Dr Nusrat Rabbi reflected on the ultimate "Sacrifices and strides made by the relentless champions of the first few decades of the nation and the martyrs for the cause of Bangladesh" with reference to her book, "The Spirit of 1971: A Memoir." Both the events were attended by ULAB’s Treasurer, the Registrar, Deans, Department Heads, faculty members, officials, and students of ULAB.

Paying  tributes to the 'brightest minds of this soil' on the Martyred Intellectuals Day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said Bangladesh could even surpass where it is now had they been alive today. He made this observation in a post shared on his verified Facebook page, terming December 14 (Martyred Intellectuals Day) a day 'reminding the shock the nation is still reeling from'. Back in 1971, Joy said, when the occupation army of Pakistan found their footing shaken and started surrendering at different parts of the country, they killed the intellectuals and professionals from diverse arenas with the aid of Razakar, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams, formed by the armed forces of Pakistan in collaboration with their local collaborators. READ: Sajeeb Wazed Joy bags leadership award in IT "They blindfolded and murdered them to leave the land soon to be independent as intellectually bankrupt," he added. Lashing out at the evil intention behind these orchestrated killings, Joy said their goal was to resist Bangladesh from standing with dignity in the world as an independent and sovereign country. "That is why they cut short the lives of the best sons of this soil who could drive the country forward." "Intellectuals such as poets, literateurs, journalists, teachers, engineers, physicians, artists, singers, and filmmakers made a huge contribution to every stage of the Liberation War of Bangladesh," he added. In addition to recognizing their role in inspiring the whole nation to take part in the Liberation War, Joy also praised them for 'playing their part in the strategic moves such as forming the Mujib Nagar government, dividing the country into different sectors and assigning a sector commander to each of them, establishing different organizations of the government of Bangladesh, appointing able people to these organizations, and ensuring international supports'.

BNP on Tuesday paid tributes to martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur in the city, marking the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir along with party senior leaders placed the wreaths and stood in a solemn silence there for some time as a mark of respect to the great national heroes who lost their lives for the cause of the country. Read:Sacrifices of martyrs to go in vain without democracy: BNP BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dhaka north city unit convener Amanullah Aman, south city unit convener Abdus Salam and party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and publicity secretary Sheaheed Uddin Chowdhury Anee were, among others, present there. Later, different associate bodies of the party also placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial paying homage to the martyred intellectuals. On the night of December 14, 1971, over 200 intellectuals, including educationists, journalists, litterateurs, writers, physicians, scientists, lawyers, artists, philosophers and political thinkers had been picked up in Dhaka by Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators. Read:It’s inevitable consequence of HR violations, BNP about US sanctions BNP kept the national flag at half-mast and hoisted black flags atop all its offices, including the Nayapaltan central one, in the morning on the occasion. Besides, the party arranged a discussion at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh on Monday in observance of the day.

Bangladesh is observing Martyred Intellectuals Day on Tuesday to commemorate the intellectuals killed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators in 1971. In the morning, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals. On behalf of the head of the state, his military secretary Major General S M Salah Uddin Islam placed a wreath at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur. Also read: PM pays homage to martyred intellectuals

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday paid tributes to the martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.On behalf of the Prime Minister, Military Secretary to the Prime Minister Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury placed the wreaths at Memorial at 7:05am. Also read: Nation set to observe Martyred Intellectuals Day TuesdayOn the night of December 14, 1971, over 200 intellectuals, including educationists, journalists, litterateurs, writers, physicians, scientists, lawyers, artists, philosophers and political thinkers had been picked up in Dhaka by Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Martyred Intellectuals Day, various cultural organisations in Bangladesh on Monday organised several cultural programmes and also paid floral tributes to those men of letters killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur, marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.