Shaheed Dr. Milon Day is being observed across the country on Sunday, commemorating the 32nd martyrdom anniversary of Dr. Shamsul Alam Khan Milon who was killed during the 90s’ anti-autocratic movement.
Different socio-cultural and political organisations as well as professional bodies have chalked out various programmes to observe the day with due respect, reports news agency UNB.
The day’s programmes include placing wreaths at the grave of Shaheed Dr. Milon on the Dhaka Medical College campus, offering ‘fateha’ there and holding discussions to mark the day.
On this day in 1990, Dr. Milon, the then joint secretary general of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and a teacher of Dhaka Medical College, was shot to death by gunmen near Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) on the Dhaka University campus on his way to a meeting against the then autocratic ruler HM Ershad.
The movement got momentum following the martyrdom of Dr. Milon and autocratic ruler Ershad had to quit power finally in the face of a vigorous mass movement.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, paid homage to Shaheed Dr. Milon, recalling his supreme sacrifice for the restoration of democracy in the country.
In his message, the president expected that being imbued with the ideology of Dr. Milon the new generation will engage themselves in the democratic practices.
“Democracy and development are complementary to each other. The advancement of democracy must also be accelerated to ensure sustainable development,” he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, the anti-autocracy movement got new speed through the supreme sacrifice of Dr. Milon.
“Emergency was declared on the day, but denying the emergency and curfew, students and mass people brought out processions on the streets several times. Later, the autocratic ruler was forced to quit and democracy was restored,” she added.