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Published on December 13, 2013
After placing the wreath, the Prime Minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of respect to the memories of the illustrious sons of the soil.
A smartly turned out contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces gave a state salute, while the bugle played the last post at that time. Members of the cabinet, chiefs of the three services and high civil and military officials were present.
Flanked by central leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial as the party chief.
Later, she talked to the war-wounded freedom fighters and enquired about their wellbeing.
The Prime Minister later went to Dhanmondi in the capital and placed wreaths at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day. Ministers, advisers to the Prime Minister, parliament members and senior Awami League leaders including Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Syed Ashraful Islam, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni, Dr Hasan Mahmud, Advocate Shamsul Haque Tuku and Advocate Qamrul Islam were present.
On the night of 14 December in 1971, over 200 Bangalee intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artistes, engineers, and writers were 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 city and later executed en masse at different killing grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.
Since then, the day is being observed as the Martyred Intellectuals Day.
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