Programmes taken to observe ‘Genocide Day’
The government has drawn up various programmes to observe the ‘Genocide Day’ on 25 March with due respect in remembrance of the brutality carried out by Pakistani Army on the unarmed Bengalis on the black night of 25 March in 1971, reports BSS.
President Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina will issue separate messages on the eve of the ‘Genocide Day’.
To mark the day, the country is set to stage a one-minute blackout from 9:00pm to 9.01pm on 25 March recalling the horror of the 25 March 1971 black night when the Pakistanis launched genocide on Bangladesh soil, said a press release.
A discussion will be held on the “Gonohotya Dibos” (Day of Genocide)”at 10:00am at National Museum in the capital marking the day.
Discussions and memorial programmes will be arranged at the all educational institutions while rare photos and documentaries on mass killing will be exhibited on the premises of all the city corporations including Dhaka.
Newspapers will publish special supplements and television channels will air special programmes highlighting the significance of the day. Special munazat will be offered at all the mosques and other religious institutions, seeking eternal peace for martyrs who were killed on 25 March 1971.
Discussions will be arranged at district and upazila levels marking the day. Besides, musical drama on genocide and Liberation War will be staged across the country besides cultural programs.
On the black night of 25 March 1971, the Pakistani military junta carried out mass killing in Dhaka as part of their blueprint to thwart the Awami League’s assumption of office following the victory in the elections held in 1970.
In the attack dubbed ‘Operation Searchlight’, the Pakistani forces mercilessly killed the Bangalee members of the East Pakistan Rifles and police, students, teachers and common people.
They killed people indiscriminately, set houses and properties on fire, and looted business establishments, leaving a trail of destruction.
The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) unanimously adopted a resolution to observe the March 25 as the “Gonohotya Dibos” (Genocide Day) on 11 March 2017.
Subsequently, the cabinet division in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, unanimously endorsed the decision on 20 March in 2017.