Names of 560 intellectuals who were martyred have been made public by the Ministry of Liberation War in four stages. On Sunday, the list was made public. That list now includes 118 additional intellectual martyrs.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque revealed the list of martyred intellectuals at a press conference at his office on Sunday afternoon.
In this list, there are 198 teachers, 113 doctors, 51 lawyers, 40 engineers, 37 government and private employees, 30 cultural workers, and people related to film, drama, music, the arts, philanthropists (29), politicians (20), journalists (18), writers (18), scientists (3), philosopher (1), researcher (1), and painter (1).
The Minister stated at the press briefing that this is not the final list of martyred intellectuals.
By December 16, the final list will be made public. For now, though, this draft is done, he said.
It is learned that the list is initially scrutinized by a sub-committee. It is then submitted to the National Committee for recommendation. The gazette is issued after the National Committee approves the list after final scrutiny and analysis.
The Liberation War Affairs Minister also said that the National
Committee has included the names of martyred intellectuals from 17 professions in four phases. Among them, 560 names were published in 14 categories.
There were 442 intellectual martyrs, including 108 more names on the third list, according to the previously updated list. There are now 118 more intellectual martyrs on the fourth list.
Earlier, the ministry published the list of martyred intellectuals in two phases. In the first phase, the number of martyred intellectuals was 191. The number in the second phase was 143. The number of martyred intellectuals in the third phase is 442.
Officials said the committee has collected names from Bangla Academy, Generation 71, Blood Debt, 1971: Genocide-Torture archives and museums. After that, the committee scrutinized and finalized the list for the fourth phase.
Near the end of the Liberation War in 1971, the Pakistani military, aided by their notorious local allies, the al-Badr, al-Shams, and Razakars, infiltrated Dhaka and kidnapped and killed hundreds of distinguished intellectuals for endorsing the birth of Bangladesh. Who was at the heart of Bangladeshi culture and intelligence?
Sources said, that to create the list, the national committee has reviewed the names of 1,600 intellectuals so far.
The Scrutiny Committee included a total of 16 professional-category martyred intellectuals on the list in three phases. Most of them are teachers; there are 143 names for them in three lists. There are 99 doctors, 46 lawyers, 36 engineers, 26 government employees, 21 journalists, 17 philanthropists, 16 politicians, 11 writers, and 10 cultural activists. Apart from this, there are 7 singers, 4 actors, 2 private employees and scientists, 1 researcher, and 1 agricultural officer.
According to Israt Chowdhury, secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War, the Scrutiny Committee will continue to search for martyred intellectuals.
On November 19, 2020, the government announced the names of the members of the Scrutiny Committee for preparing the list of martyred intellectuals. There are 11 members of the committee.
Two subcommittees were then formed. A committee was tasked with defining the definition of martyr intellectuals. The task of another committee is to collect and verify the names of martyred intellectuals by definition.
Definition of Martyred Intellectuals:
Additional Director General (Administration) of the Directorate of Health Education, Prof. Bayjid Khurshid Riaz, is in both committees. He said, 'We talk to the leaders of various professional organizations, including heroic freedom fighters, researchers on the liberation war, and elite intellectuals and teachers about who will be considered martyred intellectuals. A draft definition is prepared. Later, the National Committee approved that definition.
After that, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs published the definition of a martyr intellectuals in the form of a notification on March 21, 2021. The notification said: “All writers, philosophers, scientists, painters, teachers, researchers, journalists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, sculptors, public and private employees, politicians, philanthropists, cultural workers, film, drama, music, and arts.
Persons belonging to other branches who have contributed significantly to the development of independent Bangladesh through their intellectual work and have been martyred or disappeared forever at the hands of the Pakistani occupation forces or their collaborators are martyred intellectuals”
Professor Bayjid Khurshid Riaz said, “We have reviewed the data and found that at the end of the liberation war when the victory of Bangladesh became inevitable, the Pakistani forces and their allies increased the killing of intellectuals”
They target the intellectuals to make the Bengali nation unintelligent.
'Madhu Da' was recognised as a martyred intellectual:
Madhusudan De, affectionately known as 'Madhu Da', was posthumously recognised as a martyred intellectual 53 years after the liberation war. Despite being a humble tea shopkeeper in the vicinity of Dhaka University, Madhu Da played a significant role in inspiring DU students during the independence movement.
His exceptional influence led to his recognition as an intellectual beyond his professional identity. While the official list of martyred intellectuals typically includes teachers, writers, researchers, and artists, Madhu Da's unique contribution warranted an exception.
Although unconventional, his unwavering support for various leaders and activists over the years earned him recognition, with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman himself acknowledging him as an intellectual.