Martyred Intellectuals Day

Martyred Intellectuals Day (শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবস Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibôsh) is observed on 14 December in Bangladesh to commemorate those who were killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators at the end of the 1971 Liberation War. Just two days after the brutal carnage, on December 16, Bangladesh became independent through the surrender of Pakistani occupation forces. Pakistani forces and local collaborators like Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Rajakar forces committed the killings aiming at annihilating the country's intellectual class.

Memorial in remembrance of the martyred intellectuals
In memory of those killed, a memorial known as the Central Shohid Minar was built in Dhaka’s Rayer Bazaar.

History
The Liberation War of Bangladesh began on 26 March 1971 and ended with the liberation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. On December 14, sensing an imminent defeat, the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators—Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams—abducted and killed front-line Bengali intellectuals and professionals to cripple a newborn nation intellectually. Renowned academics, teachers, litterateurs, doctors, engineers, journalists and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their houses blindfolded and were killed before dumping the bodies in Rayerbazar, Mirpur and other killing grounds in Dhaka just two days ahead of the final victory of Bangladesh's liberation war.