The process of finalising the list of martyred intellectuals, a project initiated by the Awami League government, has been suspended due to the inactivity of the verification committee.
The government had prepared a list of 560 martyred intellectuals in four phases, with plans to finalise it by December 14. However, following the transition in government, the committee became non-functional, leaving the list incomplete, officials from the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs confirmed.
The massacre of intellectuals in December 1971 marked one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh's history. As the Liberation War neared its conclusion, the Pakistani military, aided by collaborators such as the Razakars, Al-Badr, and Al-Shams, executed a calculated plan to decimate the nation’s intellectual backbone.
On the night of December 14, intellectuals—including teachers, journalists, doctors, and artists—were abducted, brutally tortured, and killed. Their bodies were discovered at sites such as Rayerbazar and Mirpur, while many remain unidentified or missing to this day.
Each year, December 14 is observed as Martyred Intellectuals Day to honor their sacrifices.
On the 50th anniversary of independence, the government initiated efforts to compile an official list of martyred intellectuals. A verification committee, formed on November 19, 2020, included researchers, freedom fighters, and officials from the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.
The committee categorised intellectuals across various fields, including education, medicine, journalism, the arts, and politics. The list also relied on inputs from research, historical records, and applications submitted by families.
The committee initially approved a preliminary list of 1,222 intellectuals, which included names documented as early as 1972. Four subsequent lists were published between 2021 and 2023, officially naming 560 martyred intellectuals.
Despite the progress, the verification committee has become inactive. According to an official from the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs: “The committee tasked with finalising the list no longer exists. As a result, all related activities are currently suspended.”
While former Minister of Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozammel Haque had pledged to publish the final list by December 14, 2023, the process stalled after the publication of the fourth list in March this year.
Liberation War Affairs Adviser Faruk-e-Azam, also a freedom fighter, acknowledged the complexity of the task: “Creating such a list 50 years after independence is difficult. Many direct witnesses, their children, and even grandchildren are no longer alive.”
The ministry also clarified that the list is not tied to any monetary benefits, which discouraged some families from applying.
The committee defined martyred intellectuals as those who made significant contributions to the Liberation War through their intellectual work and were killed or disappeared due to actions by the Pakistani occupation forces or their collaborators.
The approved list includes intellectuals from various fields, such as writers, researchers, lawyers, journalists, and artists.
While the initiative to document martyred intellectuals has faced setbacks, experts and officials hope it will resume in the future to ensure that these national heroes are honored and remembered properly. Until then, the existing lists serve as a partial record of their sacrifices.