For forty-two years the nation has observed the Martyred Intellectual Day with a demand for justice but it is slightly different this year as the victims for the first time have seen a glimmer of hope of implementing the demand because of some developments in a number of cases related to the intellectual killings.
Some historic developments in the judiciary this year on the trial of war criminals and execution of Quader Molla on Thursday added a new dimension to the observance of the 42nd Martyred Intellectual Day today.
Since 1971 many local and foreign media, books and other publications narrated bits and pieces of barbaric brutal killing of Bangalee intellectuals during the nine-month bloody Liberation War in 1971 but this year, for the first time, the nation has some legitimate views over the issue from the courts of law.
The large-scale killing of intellectuals and professionals in 1971 has “terribly shaken the conscience of mankind and the Bangalee nation”, the judges of International Crimes Tribunal 2 observed in their judgment in the case against convicted war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
In the court’s view the event of selected intellectuals killing was a planned and calculated “large scale killing”, the Tribunal 2 comprising three judges viewed: “Intent to kill the listed intelligentsia was to cripple the Bangalee nation.”
The judges said it is “proved that about 200 leading intellectuals, doctors, professors and scientists, including such eminent personalities were brutally murdered.”
About the responsibilities of killing intellectuals were cited in the history from the views of the writers and their findings but now the court judgment drew conclusion on the issue.
“Al-Badr, the fascist body of Jamaat-e-Islami, committed such untold butchery, said the tribunal judgment. ”It stands proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Al-Badar men were the perpetrators of the horrific and untold pattern of intellectuals killing.”
This tribunal also deals another case regarding intellectual killing and delivered verdict sentencing Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman to death for killing intellectuals.
In this case the verdict termed the intellectual killing “elitocide” – a systematic killing of a community’s political and economic leadership so that it could not regenerate.
“It is impossible to forget the grief of the gruesome killings of 1971 but this time we at least have the consolation that we could ensure justice,” said Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, wife of martyred intellectual Dr Abdul Alim Chowdhury.
“We must mourn tomorrow [today] but this time we have an achievement as justice is being served through the implementation of the verdict against Quader Molla and I hope complete justice will be served only when trials of all war criminals are held,” Shyamoli, an eminent teacher, expressed her strong hope.
Abdul Alim was an eminent physician. He was actively supporting Bangladesh’s liberation struggle. He was picked up by Al Badr like other intellectuals and never came back.
The tribunal judges Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan and members Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Judge Md Shahinur Islam in their judgments summed up the descriptions of intellectual killings.
The Judges in their judgment said: “Particularly in between 10-14 December of 1971 a group of notable intellectuals belonging to diverse professions were picked up forcibly from their homes by armed men belonging to Al-Badar, an auxiliary force comprised of members of Islami Chhatra Shangha, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami for collaborating with the Pakistani army.”
It stands proved that Mohammadpur Physical Training Institute was the A-Badr headquarters and it was known as “torture camp”.
Most of the great sons and daughters did not return and their dead bodies could not be identified and traced even, although many of the distorted corpses were barely recognisable on different killing fields on the outskirts of Dhaka city.
The nation with the highest and solemn tribute still remembers their sacrifice, their contribution to the cause of independence and liberation of our motherland.
Shomi Kaiser, an actress celebrity, a victim of the intellectual killing. Her father prominent journalist Shahidullah Kaiser was kidnapped by Al-Badr.
She was so upset about not getting justice even after 42 years that she refrained from going to Savar National Mausoleum on December 16, the victory day.
She has also stopped visiting the Martyred Intellectuals Monument in Mirpur on December 14 to pay respect to all the brave sons of 1971 who laid their lives for the independence of the country.
“Without ensuring justice for the liberation war crimes, I think, only placing floral wreath on the monuments of the martyrs does not show meaningful respect to the martyrs,” Shomi said.
“Only paying tribute to the martyrs by placing floral wreaths without delivering justice for 1971 is nothing but hypocrisy,” she observed.
But last evening she was preparing to go to the Martyred Intellectual Monument to pay her tribute to them as the execution of Quader Molla on Thursday cheered her up.
“Struggle of the cross section of people for the trial of war criminals has finally seen the light,” said Shomi.
“But I think, still we have a long way to go to ensure justice for the killing of intellectuals,” Shomi said,
“It will be better if the government can set up a separate cell for the investigation of intellectual killings because there were many other razakars involved in killing the intellectuals apart from Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman.”
“We should give special focus to all the perpetrators of intellectual killings and identify all others who aided and abetted Mueen Uddin and Ashraf to kill intellectuals to in a bid to destroy the Bangalee nation.”
