<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Bangladesh is observing Martyred Intellectuals Day today (December 14, 2022) to honour the intellectuals brutally killed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators in 1971.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In the morning, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tributes to the martyred intellectuals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The President and then the Prime Minister placed wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They stood there in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the illustrious sons and daughters of the soil.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government has chalked out elaborate programmes to commemorate the December 14 tragedy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apart from the family members of the martyred and freedom fighters, the general public also placed wreaths at Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in the morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To mark the day, various cultural organisations have arranged several cultural programmes and paid floral tributes to the brightest minds killed by the Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the Liberation War.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangladesh Television and private television channels are also airing special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 14, 1971, many of the country’s renowned academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers were dragged out of their homes across the country, blindfolded and taken to unknown places. They were brutally tortured and killed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the martyred intellectuals were Prof Munier Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Prof GC Dev, JC Guhathakurta, Prof Santosh Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (LaduBhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>