A tribute to the sunken stars

"If you want to destroy a nation, then annihilate its educated and knowledgeable society." Knowing that defeat was inevitable, the violent Pakistani invading army seems to have strengthened its resolve in this policy and indulged in a heinous frenzy of destroying the educated and knowledgeable members of the Bangalee community. Today is Martyred Intellectuals Day, a day observed in memory of the sun-born children of the nation who fell victim to the naked ambitions of those demons.

Historically, our green, fertile, grain-rich homeland has never found lasting peace. It has always been subjected to the evil designs of some external power. On 23 June 1757, the independent sun of Bengal set at the hands of the English. Then, after almost two centuries of colonial rule, the religiously based state of Pakistan was created with the dream of freedom. But alas! It was like removing the yoke of one foreign power only to place the reins of control in the hands of another foreigner.

The oppression and torture of the West Pakistani rulers continued unabated. Their attack on the language, literature, and culture of the Bangalees began. They prospered by snatching food from the mouths of the Bangalis. After enduring this limitless oppression and crushing exploitation, the great Liberation War began, unfolding through various stages.

According to a pre-planned blueprint, the West Pakistani rulers deployed their barbaric army. The demon-like forces continued to wreak havoc, much like a pack of hyenas. Ordinary people scattered in all directions, running for their lives. The lush, green land turned into a veritable slaughterhouse.

However, the Bangali nation, though battered, burnt, and ruined, was not a nation that would bow its head. It rose with their motherland's flag, ready to risk their lives. The land of this country became soaked in the blood of millions of martyrs. Helpless mothers and sisters suffered indescribable horrors, becoming victims of systemic rape and brutal violence. Yet, as time went on, the Pak army began losing ground, even at the cost of countless lives of Bangali freedom fighters.

It is a fact that invaders often implement a major battlefield strategy: ethnic cleansing. This is a tactic where men are killed to destroy the lineage, and women are used solely as seedbeds to plant the descendants of the invading community. This approach is a manifestation of an utterly vile and inhuman mentality. The Bosnian genocide and the recent Rohingya genocide were also born of the same horrific strategy.

When the purpose of ethnic cleansing failed and defeat loomed on the horizon, the Pak army initiated another black chapter in history. To ensure the Bangali nation could never stand strong again, they unleashed a hellish massacre targeting the intellectuals of this nation.

Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela once said in a speech at Madison Park High School in Boston, US: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." By using the term "change," he clearly referred to positive transformation or progress. However, the Pakistani rulers of that time could not bear the thought that the Bangali nation might one day reach the zenith of progress. They wanted to keep this nation perpetually subjugated and oppressed.

If education is a weapon to change the world, as Nelson Mandela stated, then intellectuals are the factory producing that weapon. They are the ones who awaken the nation through their writings, journalists through their pens, musicians through their songs, and teachers through their lessons coming close to the people and inspiring them. Therefore, the first step in destroying a nation is to eliminate its intellectuals. Although this process began on the night of 25 March 1971, it gained horrifying momentum in December of that same year.

Pakistani collaborators within the country also assisted the Pakistani army. As the saying goes, "The enemy within is the most dangerous." Just as Vibhishana, despite being Ravana's brother, sided with Rama, these local collaborators enabled the Pak army to carry out widespread killings. However, unlike Vibhishana, who sided with justice, these collaborators sided with injustice, staining their hands with the blood of their own people.

At that time, the targets of the violent Pak army were the sun-born children of the nation: teachers, doctors, journalists, cultural figures, politicians, social workers, writers, literary figures, lawyers, and other professionals. Dhirendranath Datta, who proposed that the Bengali language be used alongside English and Urdu in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly in 1948, was tortured and killed along with his son, Dilip Kumar, on 29 March 1971, at the Mainamati Cantonment. Altaf Mahmud, the composer of the iconic song "Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February," was arrested on 30 August 1971. He never returned.

On 13 April 1971, Sukharanjan Samaddar was killed by the Pak army at Rajshahi University after sheltering a wounded freedom fighter and caring for him throughout the night. Similarly, figures like Govinda Chandra Deb, Munier Choudhury, Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, Anwar Pasha, Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, Habibur Rahman, Mohammad Fazle Rabbi, Shahidullah Kaiser, Selina Parveen, and many other invaluable personalities—who were the assets of this nation—were martyred.

According to the book Shaheed Buddhijibi Kosh published by Bangla Academy, intellectuals include writers, scientists, artists, teachers, researchers, and cultural personalities. It is recorded that during the period from 25 March 1971, to January 31, 1972, intellectuals who made significant contributions to the emergence of Bangladesh through their work were martyred by the occupying Pakistani forces or their collaborators. Many disappeared forever during this time.

Contemporary newspapers and the report of Newsweek journalist Nicholas Tomalin estimate that 1,070 intellectuals were martyred. According to Banglapedia, the intellectual victims included 991 academicians, 13 journalists, 49 doctors, 42 lawyers, and 16 others (such as cultural figures, artists, and engineers).

After the Liberation War, an intellectual inquiry committee was formed under the leadership of renowned film director Zahir Raihan. He reported that democratic-minded intellectuals in Bangladesh had been specifically targeted. Tragically, Zahir Raihan himself disappeared on 30 January 1972. It is widely believed that he, too, fell victim to the same collaborators who worked against the nation.

The first Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad, officially declared 14 December as Martyred Intellectuals Day in remembrance of this immense loss. While the killing of intellectuals began at the onset of the war, the most heinous atrocities occurred on 14 December, cementing the day's significance in history.

Finally, although we now enjoy the precious sun of independence, it is important to remember that the path to achieving it was fraught with difficulties and thorns. The massacre carried out by the Pakistani invaders and their collaborators in 1971, aimed at stripping this nation of its talent and backbone, must never succeed in spirit. We must dedicate ourselves to strengthening our backbone as a nation. We must be true patriots, protect our independence, and achieve proper education. 

As Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, aptly stated, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of liberty."

Md Zahid Hossain is a Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Barishal Cadet College, Bangladesh.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.