Martyred Intellectuals Memorial () is a monument built in memory of the martyred intellectuals of the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

. The memorial is located at Rayerbazar,

Mohammadpur Thana Mohammadpur () is a thana of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Although initially Mohammadpur had grown as a residential area, subsequent commercial places have also been developed as well. History Unlike some parts of Dhaka city, most parts of Mohammadpur wer ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. The memorial was designed by architect Farid U Ahmed and Jami Al Shafi. The initial proposal for a memorial at Rayer Bazar was brought forward by Projonmo 71 (organisation of the children of the martyrs of liberation war), who also laid a temporary foundation stone in 1991.

History of intellectual massacre

During the entire duration of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, a large number of teachers, doctors, engineers, poets and writers were systematically massacred by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and their local collaborators, most notably the alleged Islamist militia groups Al-Badr and Al-Shams. The largest number of assassinations took place on 14 December 1971, only two days before the surrender of the Pakistan Army to the joint forces of the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

and

Mukti bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

. On the night of 14 December 1971, over 200 of East Pakistan's intellectuals including professors, journalists, doctors, artists, engineers, and writers were rounded up in Dhaka. They were taken blindfolded to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different sections of the city. They were later executed en masse, most notably at Rayerbazar and Mirpur. In memory of the martyred intellectuals, 14 December is mourned in Bangladesh as '' Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibosh.'' Even after the official ending of the war on 16 December, there were reports of hostile fire from the armed Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators. In one such incident, filmmaker

Zahir Raihan Mohammad Zahirullah (19 August 1935 – disappeared 30 January 1972), known as Zahir Raihan, was a Bangladeshi novelist, writer and filmmaker. He is most notable for his documentary '' Stop Genocide'' (1971), made during the Bangladesh Liberatio ...

was killed on 30 January 1972 in Mirpur, allegedly by the armed Beharis of Mirpur. 991 teachers and professors, 49 doctors, 42 lawyers, 13 journalists, and 16 others (artists, engineers, and non-journalistic writers) are estimated to have been killed. Intellectuals who were killed between 25 March and 16 December 1971 in different parts of the country included

Govinda Chandra Dev Govinda Chandra Dev (1 February 1907 – 26 March 1971) (Full name : Govinda Chandra Dev Purakayastha), also known as Dr. G. C. Dev, was a professor of philosophy at the University of Dhaka. He was assassinated at the onset of the Bangladesh Lib ...

(philosopher, Professor at DU),

Munier Chowdhury Abu Naeem Mohammad Munier Choudhury (27 November 192514 December 1971) was a Bangladeshi educationist, playwright, literary critic and political dissident. He was a victim of the mass killing of Bangladeshi intellectuals in 1971. Early life an ...

(litterateur, dramatist, Professor at DU),

Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury (22 July 1926 – 14 December 1971) was a prominent Bengali essayist, prized scholar of Bengali literature, educator and linguist of the Bengali language. Early life and education Born in Khalishpur village, in Noakhal ...

(litterateur, Professor at DU),

Anwar Pasha Anwar Pasha (1928–1971) was a Bangladeshi novelist. He was 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals, killed in 1971. Life Anwar Pasha was born in the village Dabkai in Murshidabad (currently in West Bengal, India). He passed the High Madrassah e ...

(litterateur, Professor at DU),

Mohammed Fazle Rabbee Mohammed Fazle Rabbee (occasionally spelled Rabbi, ; 21 September 1932 – 15 December 1971) was a renowned cardiologist and a published medical researcher. He was the joint professor of Cardiology and Internal Medicine at Dhaka Medical College ...

(cardiologist), Alim Chowdhury (ophthalmologist), Shahidullah Kaisar (journalist), Nizamuddin Ahmed (reporter), Selina Parvin (reporter),

Altaf Mahmud Altaf Mahmud (23 December 1933 – September 1971) was a musician, cultural activist, and martyred freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was also a language activist of the Language Movement and composer of " Amar Bhaier Rokte Ra ...

(lyricist and musician), Hobibur Rahman (Professor of Mathematics, RU), Sukharanjan Samaddar (Professor of Sanskrit, RU), Mir Abdul Quaiyum (Professor of Psychology, RU),

Dhirendranath Datta Dhirendranath Datta (2 November 1886 – disappeared 29 March 1971) was a Bengali lawyer and politician from East Bengal who was a member of the 1st Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. He is best known for proposing Bengali for the national la ...

(politician),

Ranadaprasad Saha Rai Bahadur Ranada Prasad Saha (, ; 15 November 1896 – May 1971), also known as R. P. Saha, was a Bengali businessman, entrepreneur, soldier, philanthropist, social worker, and humanitarian. He founded educational institutes like Bharateswari ...

(philanthropist), Lt. Col. Moazzem Hossain (ex-soldier), Mamun Mahmood (police officer), and many others.

Design and construction of the memorial

In 1993, the Government of Bangladesh decided to erect a memorial at the site. The Ministry of Housing and Works Department and the Institute of Architects Bangladesh jointly organised a national-level architectural competition for the design of the memorial "Badhya Bhumi Smriti Soudha". Out of 22 entries, the jurors selected the design proposal of architect Farid Uddin Ahmed and architect Md Jami-al-Shafi. The Public Works Department was responsible for the implementation of the project. Its completion took about three years (1996 to 1999).

Design significance

The main element of the monument is approximately 17.7 m high, 0.9 m thick and 115.8 m long curved brick wall, representing the original brickfield of Rayer Bazar where the dead bodies were found. The wall is broken at the two ends, representing grief and sorrow. A square window at the south-west side of the wall permits visitor's view to reach the sky behind, that also scale down the wall. In front of the curved wall is a still water body from which rises a black granite column, which represents grief.

References

External links

Historical places
National Tourism Organisation, Govt. of Bangladesh. {{Bangladesh Liberation War Monuments and memorials in Dhaka National symbols of Bangladesh Martyrs' monuments and memorials Persecution by Muslims 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals Memorials to Bangladesh Liberation War