GAIBANDHA, Dec 14, 2020 (BSS)- The Martyred Intellectuals Day-2020 was observed in the district today paying rich tribute to the martyred.
Marking the day, the district administration chalked out the elaborate programmes in cooperation with Gaibandha Municipality.
Whip of the Jatiya Sangshad Mahabub Ara Begum Gini accompanied by leaders and activists of Awami League placed wreaths at the mausoleum of the Liberation War of the town here.
The district administration led by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Matin, Superintendent of Police (SP) Towhidul Islam, also placed wreaths.
The programme was followed by a discussion meeting held at the auditorium of Zila Shilpakala Academy of the town with DC Abdul Matin in the chair.
Whip of the Jaitya Sangshad and local law maker Mahabub Ara Begum Gini addressed the meeting as the chief guest and SP Towhidul Islam, General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, district unit Abu Bakar Siddque, former Deputy Commander of district Muktijoddha sangshad freedom fighter Goutam Chandra Modok, Freedom Fighters Affair Secretary of district Awami League Wasiqur Iqbal Mohammad Mazu, Sadar UNO Md Rafiul Alam and Organizing Secretary of district Awami League Mridul Mostafi Jhantu spoke at the meeting as the special guests, while it was conducted by Assistant Commissioner of the DC office Md Shaheedul Islam.
The speakers in their speeches said on this day in 1971, the illustrious sons of the soil were brutally killed at the fag end of the Liberation War as the Pakistani occupation army with the help of their local collaborators — Razakar, Al-Badr and Al- Shams — abducted intellectuals and professionals sensing their imminent defeat.
The intellectuals were taken blindfolded to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the capital and later executed en masse at different slaughtering grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur to cripple the nation intellectually, they also said.
DC Abdul Matin said the Pakistani troops and their Bengali-speaking collaborators killed a number of intelligentsia throughout the nine-month long Liberation War and most of the December 14 victims were picked up from their houses blindfolded and killed between December 10th and 14th 1971.
He urged all to come forward to build the country with the spirit of the liberation war and said the young generations would have to contribute to making the hard-earned independence achieved after nine months bloody war through sacrificing of 30 lakh martyrs and losing the chastity over two lakh mother and sisters .
Later, the guests formally distributed the prizes among winners who participated in the essay, letter and poetry recitation competitions conducted by Bangladesh Shishu Academy.