Every year, the great victory month is observed in remembrance of the last 16 days of the liberation war when our valiant freedom fighters staged a strike back with sophisticated weapons, flushing out the occupation army and their collaborators from many parts of the country.
On December 3, the Indo-Pak war erupted as the Indian government was compelled to go for military solution to the humanitarian and political crises intentionally created by the Pakistani military rulers who wanted to trample democracy to deprive Bengalis of the right to rule.
We feel proud of the historic victory in 1971. Bangladesh triumphed, with millions of freedom loving people dancing, rejoicing and shouting joy Bangla in the streets. We remember that day, December 16, and the spirit of liberation is still alive in our sentimens and emotions.
During victory month various political organisations, cultural think tanks and civil society undertake a number of regular programs, but we cannot forget our main agenda in the victory month. This is about paying tribute to the intellectuals we lost when the capital city was surrounded by the allied forces. We feel a surge of emotion when we remember the supreme sacrifices of all of our compatriots, including our intellectuals.
In the final blow, the defeated Pakistan army tried to snuff out the Bengali intelligentsia. The intellectual martyrs contributed largely to the development of Bengali nationalism, nourishing the spirit of liberation based on values like nationalism, democracy, secularism and socialism.
It was a planned mass killing on December 14 and 15. In company with its local quislings, who achieved lasting notoriety as Razakars and Al-Badr, the state of Pakistan went about picking out the best and the brightest among Bengalis, including top doctors, professors, journalists, to kill and maim at leisure.
On the eve of freedom, the Pakistani army and the killing squads fanned out all over the city seized our educated professionals and intellectuals and presided over their slow and painful death. It was a continuation of the game of death that began on March 25 with the murder of Prof. G.C. Dev and Prof. Jotirmoy Guhathakurata.
Among the dead were many educationists and some journalists. The murders were preplanned, a desperate attempt to annihilate our intellectual base. Under specific instructions from Maj. Gen. Rao Farman Ali, and Brig. Bashir the Pak troops moved around the city and its adjoining areas in a hunt for intellectuals, pulled them out of their houses and murdered them.
We pay homage to slain intellectuals like Dr. Fazle Rabbi, Dr. Alim Chowdhury, Mr. Nizamuddin, a journalist, Sirajuddin Hossain, Dr. Santosh Bhattachaya, Prof. Syed Giasuddin, Selina Parveen and scores of others. The slain varsity teachers were sincere and committed, all with honesty and integrity. The orientation the students received from these academic talents with excellent manner and composed personality can never be passed into oblivion.
Thousands of people imbibed with the spirit of liberation pay floral tributes to the intellectuals brutally killed on December 14, 1971. A smartly turned out contingent of Bangladesh army gives a guard of honour as usual while military bugles plays the last post.
Leaders of different political parties and professional and cultural bodies place floral wreaths at the memorial in commemoration of the day. They visit Rayer Bazar monument and hold cultural functions there to mark the day.
We can observe the day by pledging to conduct an all-out campaign for the trial of war criminals. This is the demand of the day.

Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque is Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University and Dr. M. Abul Kashem Mozumder is Professor and Chairman of Public Administration, Jahangirnagar University.