Shaheed Asad Day will be observed today, commemorating the supreme sacrifice of student leader Amanullah Mohammad Asaduzzaman during the mass upsurge of 1969 which eventually led to the independence of Bangladesh.
On this day in 1969, Asad was killed in firing by Pakistan forces in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital while protesting their oppressive acts on the people of what was then East Pakistan.
Then President Ayub Khan, was forced to step down amid a mass revolt fuelled by the incident.
Various political and cultural organizations of Narsingdi and the whole nation, will remember Asad’s sacrifice with deep gratitude through various programs marking the 51st anniversary of his martyrdom.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages paying respect to the memory of Asad. They also prayed for the eternal peace of Asad’s departed soul.
Asad was born on June 10, 1942, in Hatirdia village of Narsingdi's Monohardi upazila. His ancestral home was in Dhanoa village in the district's Shibpur upazila.
A graduate student of history at Dhaka University, Asad was also the DU president and Dhaka city general secretary of erstwhile East Pakistan Chhatra Union.
Government Shahid Asad College, Shahid Asad Collegiate Girls' High School and College, and several other institutions were established to memorialize the hero of the 1969 mass uprising.
However, even the students of these establishments do not know much about Asad or his political views. Indeed, most people in Dhaka only know the name in the context of Asad Gate on Mirpur road in the city, but do not know it was so named to commemorate this early martyr for our freedom as a nation.
Shahid Asad Collegiate Girls' High School and College Principal Abul Haris Rikabdar said the liberation war in 1971 started due to the mass uprising of 1969, which ultimately led to the liberation of the country. The new generation is ignorant of Asad's contribution to the 1969 mass upsurge as this is not included in textbooks.