Bangladesh President, PM Sheikh Hasina pay tribute to 1971 war heroes on Victory Day

Bangladesh President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 16 paid tributes to the martyred heroes during the end of Liberation War in 1971 and marked the Victory Day. As per reports, Hamid’s military secretary SM Shamim-uz-Zaman laid a wreath on behalf of the Bangladeshi President at the altar of the National Memorial at 06:34 AM (local time).

Following the placement of the wreath, Hamid’s representative stood in silence for a while to pay respect to the memories of the nation’s soldiers, academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, teachers along with other renowned personalities who lost their lives 49 years ago. 

Meanwhile, on behalf of Bangladeshi PM, her Military Secretary Major General Naqib Ahmed Chowdhury also placed wreaths at the altar around the same time and paid homage to the intellectuals of the nation. Even though the day was observed across the neighbouring nation but the scale was diminished due to COVID-19 pandemic. Usually, every year the Bangladeshi President and Prime Minister place wreaths in person.  

The Victory Day on December 16 is celebrated every year in Bangladesh as a national holiday to commemorate the victory over the Pakistani forces and its local collaborators during the Liberation War in 1971. After taking lives of hundreds of nation’s intellectuals, the Pakistani occupation army had surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India that marked the 
nine-month-long brutal war. 

Read - Gang Which Pushed Girls From Bangladesh In Flesh Trade Busted: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Read - BJP's Dilip Ghosh Abuses Mamata; Alleges 'TMC Conspiring To Turn Bengal Into Bangladesh'

India salutes heroes on 1971 war

Martyred Intellectuals Day

Bangladesh observes ‘Victory Day’ on December 16 after observing Martyred Intellectuals Day on December 14. On December 14 in 1971, Bangladesh’s well-known academicians, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists, teachers along with other renowned personalities were not only dragged out of their homes but were reportedly blindfolded to take to unknown places followed by torture and murder. As per UNB report, the bodies all intellectuals were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other fields in the capital. 

The Pakistani forces and its collaborators had sensed their imminent defeat in 1971 and thus committed the mass murders that reportedly aimed to annihilate the Bangladeshi intelligence and cripple it intellectually. Since then, to commemorate the tragic deaths, the Bangladeshi government has chalked out a range of programs for the December 14 tragedy.

Earlier, on December 13, Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their deep respects and tributes to the ‘best sons’ of the nation. In a separate message on the eve of the day, both Bangladesh President and PM called for the nation to unite and being imbued with the ideology of the intellectuals that lost their lives along with the spirit of the Liberation War to build a non-communal “Sonar Bangla”. 

Hamid also noted, in his message that the intellectuals are the main conscience of the nation and they had played a significant role with writing and spirit to mobilise public opinion in favour of the Liberation War. However, the Bangladeshi PM added that it was ‘unfortunate’ that the occupation forces and its local collaborators had brutally killed the intellectuals and other litterateurs just on the eve of the victory. 

Read - Rohingya Refugees Board Boats To Bangladesh Island

Read - Bangladesh Plans To Move Rohingya Refugees To Remote Island, UN Expresses Concern