Martyrs' Intellectuals Day: "The Goal of Anti-Independence Forces Was to Defeat the Nation"

On Sunday, the Martyred Intellectuals Day is being observed in remembrance of those great sons of the nation who laid down their lives in the struggle for the liberation of Bengalis from exploitation and deprivation, playing a significant role in shaping the intellectual psyche of the nation.

From the night of the tragic 25th March 1971, throughout the Liberation War, the Pakistani forces killed intellectuals. However, as victory approached, this massacre took on a more horrifying form. Their local collaborators, the Rajakars and Al-Badr forces, assisted in this heinous task.

By mid-December, when the victory of the Bengali people in the war of liberation was inevitable, the Pakistani forces, with the help of the Rajakars and Al-Badr forces, began executing the nation’s renowned intellectuals. Their objective was to cripple Bangladesh permanently.

On December 14, 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces, in a planned attack, abducted and murdered many renowned Bengalis, including university teachers, doctors, artists, writers, and journalists, from their homes.

Having already accepted defeat, the Pakistani forces carried out this massacre with the intention of ensuring that Bangladesh would not stand tall after independence.

The bodies of the greatest sons of the nation, bearing signs of brutal torture, were found in the areas of Mirpur and Rayer Bazar. Later, these places came to be known as killing fields.

On the 54th anniversary of the intellectuals' massacre, President Md. Sahabuddin paid tribute to the nation’s greatest sons, remembering their significant role in building public opinion in favor of the Liberation War and providing intellectual guidance.

In his message on this day, the President remembered all the martyrs and martyred intellectuals.

The President’s message reads, "On this day in 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators mercilessly killed the greatest sons of the nation."

"Intellectuals are one of the key architects of a nation’s development and progress. The intellectuals of the nation, through the practice of free thought, creative activities, innovation, and the promotion of democratic values, play a key role in the formation of a knowledge-based prosperous nation."

He continued, "That is why, on the brink of defeat, the enemy forces, with the heinous intent of rendering the nation intellectually barren, conducted a brutal massacre across the country, including Dhaka."

Highlighting the irreversible loss caused by the brutal killing of the country’s most renowned intellectuals, Sahabuddin remarked, “By ruthlessly abducting and killing prominent educators, writers, doctors, scientists, philosophers, engineers, lawyers, journalists, artists, political thinkers, and many other distinguished individuals, the nation suffered an irreplaceable loss. The wound of losing our greatest sons at the dawn of independence is something that Bangladesh continues to carry to this day."

“The unwavering courage and firm stance of the martyred intellectuals in the battle against all evil forces remain unique and unforgettable in the history of the nation. I believe that the sacrifice of our martyrs will be meaningful only if we can follow their ideals and create a new Bangladesh based on the spirit of the Liberation War, one that is secular, prosperous, free of discrimination, and where everyone lives in peace and harmony.”