President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to the martyred intellectuals on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

First the president and then the prime minister placed wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial at Mirpur.

They stood there in solemn silence for a while as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the illustrious sons of the soil.

A smartly-turned out contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces gave a state salute, while the budge played the last post at that time.

The chiefs of the three services were present.

Flanked by the party's central leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial as the party chief.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister and AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq and Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, amongst others, were present.

Later, the Prime Minister talked to the war-wounded freedom fighters and the family members of the martyred intellectuals and enquired about their wellbeing.

Sheikh Hasina then went to Dhanmondi in the capital and placed a wreath at the portrait of Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

After placing the wreath, she stood there for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence of Bangladesh.

Flanked by her party central leaders, Sheikh Hasina laid another wreath at the portrait of the Father of the Nation as the party chief.

On the night of December 14, 1971, over 200 intellectuals including educationists, journalists, litterateurs, writers, physicians, scientists, lawyers, artists, philosophers and political thinkers had been picked up in Dhaka by the Pakistani occupation forces, aided by their local collaborators.

The intellectuals were taken blindfold to torture cells in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Nakhalpara, Rajarbagh and other locations in different parts of the city and later executed en masse at different killing grounds, most notably Rayerbazar and Mirpur.

Since then, the day has been observed as the Martyred Intellectuals Day.