President, PM pay tributes to martyred intellectuals

President Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

First the president and then the prime minister placed wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur of the capital, reports UNB.

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, while the bugle played the last post at that time.

The chiefs of the three services were also present here.

Flanked by the party's central leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the memorial as the party chief.

Road transport and bridges minister and AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, liberation war affairs minister AKM MozammelHuq and mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon, amongst others, were present.

Later, the prime minister talked to the war-wounded freedom fighters and the family members of the martyred intellectuals and enquired about their wellbeing.

Sheikh Hasina then went to Dhanmondi in the capital and placed a wreath at the portrait of 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.

Flanked by her party central leaders, Sheikh Hasina as the party chief laid another wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu.

On the night of 14 December 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 blindfolded to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the capital 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.