HIS103.

10 [FALL 2020]

Assignment: Select and write a biography on one Martyred

Intellectual of December 14, 1971 and answer three queries:
1. Why did you pick him/her?
2. What was his/her contribution?
3. What have you learned from this exercise?

Submitted to: Dr. Sadik Hasan

Submitted by: Ezaharul Islam Udoy (1632110010)

Date: 29.12.20
 Martyred Intellectual of December 14, 1971
Sirajuddin Hossain

Martyred Intellectuals Day is one of the darkest days in the history of Bangladesh. Its effect has
marked us and is felt by many, to this day. Our country would have been a tremendous step
ahead of time if the horrific incident did not occur just a few days before Bangladesh achieved its
victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. The attack on pro-liberation intellectuals occurred from 12
to the 14th of December, and during this time academics, researchers, physicians, engineers,
journalists, poets, and writers were brutally killed and buried in Raye Bazar and Mohammadpur
(Hasan , 2017).
The bodies were found after Bangladesh got its triumph and some were altered so much that it
was tough for their close ones even to recognize them upfront. It is believed that the plan of
killing intellectuals and crippling the nation was planned at the initial stage, as the war began
with the killing of Dhaka university faculties and members. Around 1070 intellectuals were killed,
but the actual number is still undetermined. It is considered that the leading architect behind this
horrific killing of intellectuals was Major General Rao Forman Ali, as, after the war, a diary was
found in his cabinet with the list of the intellectuals that were killed. Many other Pakistani army
members and Raja Kars were included to make Major General Rao Forman Ali's plan a success
(Bangladesh Awami League, 2020). Every year on the 14th of December, Bengalis pay respect to
the intellectuals who were assassinated during the 1971 liberation war, and it will always be a
significant day to the people of Bangladesh.
Among the intellectuals who were killed was Sirajuddin Hossain, a journalist who played an
essential role in the freedom of Bangladesh and thus had his life taken for its price. He was born
on the 1st of March,1929, in Sharshuna village under Shalikha Upazilla of Magura district in an
underprivileged but cultured family. Sirajuddin Hossain lost his father at an early age and later
was abandoned by his uncle who used to take care of them after his father passed away. He
suffered a lot and had to experience the toughness of life at a young age. Even after all the
hardship, Sirajuddin Hossain did not give up on life and had the urge to become an educated and
respectful person like his father. He finished his high school education from Jhikargacha School
through self-support, as he tutored the children of a widow, who in return gave Sirajuddin
Hossain a place to stay and warm food (Sohel, 2015) (Sarwar, 2018).
After finishing high school, he went to Jessore Madhusudan College, and Kolkata Islamia College
and got his Bachelor of art degree from there in 1947. He joined 'The Azad' a newspaper company
based in Kolkata, as a journalist and it is also the same company where he did his internship.
Sirajuddin Hossain earned the title of the youngest news editor of Indian Subcontinent when he
became the news editor of Daily Azad as the company shifted from Kolkata to Dhaka (Sarwar,
2018).

'The Azad' was a newspaper company owned by the Muslim League, but it was also one of the
primary sources to get information about the Language movement at that time, and Sirajuddin
Hossain made quite a contribution in it which led him to get fired from the company. It was a
courageous effort from him to show support for the Language movement while working for a
company owned by the Muslim League who wanted to take the mother language out of
Bangladesh's people. Md. Ali Jinnah, the Governor-General of Pakistan, introduced the Two
nations theory in which it was stated that the state language of the East and West Pakistan is to
be Urdu. It sparked significant conflicts among the people of then East Pakistan (Bangladesh) as
its people's mother tongue was Bangla. Numerous protest and meetings did not change the mind
of Md. Ali Jinnah and finally on the 21st of February in a protest Salam, Barkat, Rafique Jabbar
and others had to give their lives for the people of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to speak Bangla
freely. Sirajuddin Hossain's influence and many others finally brought the success of the
language movement, and the people of then East Pakistan (Bangladesh) got the freedom of
talking in Bangla (Yusuf, 2015) (Hasan , 2017) (Rahman, 2020).
After getting fired from the 'The Azad', Sirajuddin Hossain worked at numerous companies and
even worked for two years as a freelance journalist. He worked for 'Ittefaq' from 1954 to 1966
and again from 1969 till 1971 before getting brutally murdered for his contribution to the
liberation war and movements. He gained his fame during his time in 'Ittefaq' for his
extraordinary captions and designs and contributed to achieving us the victory from Pakistan in
the war (Hasan , 2017)

In 1966 a National conference was held of Pakistan's opposition parties which were held in
Lahore. The renowned six-point demands were presented in this conference by Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman; however, they were neglected by the other opposition leaders; thus, the demands were
presented at a news conference. After Sheikh Mujib won the election, he and Tajuddin Ahmed
started an operation to gain support for the Six-point program. They went around the country to
gather support but was arrested quite a time. Many went out on the street and protested for the
release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but were stopped by the polices. A brochure was released on
the point demands and was distributed among the people of the country. The leaders of West
Pakistan excluded the demands and the Agartala conspiracy case was used against Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman and other members of the Awami League. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the
other members were sentenced to jail which created a nationwide outrage and under pressure
had to release Sheikh Mujib on the 22nd of February,1969 (Shawon , 2020).
The demands were created on the foundation of ending the misuse of power on East Pakistan by
the west, it also wanted to secure East Pakistan and strengthen its defence as they have been
neglected for a while and the desire of Bengalis for an independent policy. Sirajuddin Hossain,
as the editor of 'Ittefaq', played an important role in voicing the six-point program. His article,
headlines, and creative writing created a spark among people and understood that the six-
point program was necessary for East Pakistan's people to demolish Injustice and
mistreatments towards them. Ittefaq under the supervision of Sirajuddin Hossain expressed to
the people of East Pakistan how the Six-point program will benefit them and how West
Pakistan exploited them. When Sheikh Mujib was in jail, acting General Secretary Amina Begum
kept the engine running of the movement, and Sirajuddin Hossain was her daily advisor to firmly
carry out the political game in the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sirajuddin Hossain
played another vital role by reporting the movement through 'Ittefaq' to East Pakistan (Sarwar,
2018).
An eleven-point demand was declared in a movement by East Pakistan's student organization
named Shorbodolio Chatro Shongram Parishad (The All-Party Student Action Committee) in
1968. Sirajuddin Hossain with his inspiring writing and headlines already kept the people of
East Pakistan excited, and he did the same with the articles on the 11-point demands by the
student organization. The demands got the backup from many people from East Pakistan starting
from peasant to middle-class people, and it also had the demands from the Six-point program of
Sheikh Mujib, except from the separate currency policy (Sarwar, 2018).
The Bangladesh liberation war lasted for nine months, and Sirajuddin Hossain remained in
Dhaka as the executive editor of Ittefaq. The Pakistani forces heavily controlled the media, but
Sirajuddin Hossain still managed to support the war and the Bengali freedom fighters through
his creative writing and thinking capability. He would translate some news regarding the war
from West Pakistan to read the newspaper would know the latest update, even the freedom
fighters. He also showed his support and as a sigh of an independent Bangladesh through a
map of East Pakistan being published on the newspaper and would carefully design it, so that
the readers would recognize it. Sirajuddin Hossain also sent valuable data, through the help of
a secret network used by the 'Mukti Bhahinis' to the administration in exile in India. He also
published articles, exposing newspaper belonging to Anti-independence political parties and
their propagandas (Sarwar, 2018).
'Operation Search Light', which occurred during 25th to the 26th of March,1971, took thousands
of lives of men, women, and children entirely overlooked by US president Nixon and US secretary
of state Henry Kissinger. The US was in full support of West Pakistan during the liberation war
and wanted to create a bond with China, with the help of West Pakistan for which they showed
full support to them. They kept on disregarding the reports coming from East Pakistan by US
Counsel member General Archer Blood and on the 6th of April,1971 a telegram was sent to the
US Department of State by him, which later came to known as the famous 'The Blood Telegram'.
It consisted of the fact that the USA was supportive to West Pakistan and the denial of 'Awami
League' winning the general election of 1970 and the genocide that had occurred. Blood also
criticized the foreign policy of Nixon and consisted of strong words against the state department
(Boissoneault, 2016).
Sirajuddin Hossain got his hand on the blood telegram through his link with US officials, who
worked within the 1960s. He then passed it to the exile government of Bangladesh in India by
Raju Ahmed, who hand-deliver it to the exile government. Later the government in exile
transferred the information to the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, and it was broadcasted for a
while. The telegram insides were spread out worldwide and later led the US congress to favour
the Bangladesh Independence war. Sirajuddin Hossain was the playmaker in delivering the
blood telegram to the exile government of Bangladesh in India, which led the world know about
what was going on, in Bangladesh and hinge the opinion of the world in it (Sarwar, 2018).
Sirajuddin Hossain not only contributed to the freedom of Bangladesh but also helped in
numerous investigations. During the start of 1960, an organized crime group would kidnap
children and traffic them outside East Pakistan, teach them to pickpocket, mutilate them, use
them as beggars, rape them and even sell them as sex slaves. Sirajuddin Hossain reported
against these crimes and would give updates on the missing children, the police at first were
at denial, but Sirajuddin Hossain sent two reporters and a photographer and got enough
evidence to start the hunt to grab those criminals to jail. The daily Ittefaq covered those daily
crimes, and finally, with the help of the police forces, the criminals were caught, and around two
thousand children were rescued from them. Due to his courageous effort and tremendous
determination, he got numerous recognitions and awards around the world and was given the
title 'Father of the Investigative Journalism in East Pakistan (Sarwar, 2018).
In 1964, a riot broke down in India between Muslims and Hindus, which led an operation to take
place in Dhaka and Narayanganj and as a result, many Hindus were killed by racist and illicit hands
of Pakistan military. A meeting was held due to East Pakistan's intellectuals, and Sheikh Mujib
was also an attendee among them. Later a committee was established to stand against it, and
Sirajuddin Hossain was given the primary responsibility along with few others. Sirajuddin
Hossain, as the editor of the Daily Ittefaq, wrote many articles about it. Thus, he fought against
hate crime and racism through his power of journalism. He was also an author with having
around a hundred books published and led him to outstanding awards and recognition, and he
even bagged the prestigious 'Ekushey Padak' for journalism. A college was named after him in
Khulna and a library in Magura for his contribution in the liberation war and fighting for justice
and the humankind ( (Sarwar, 2018).
Sirajuddin Hossain was a caring husband and a loving father of 8, and his life was taken away
on the 11th of December 1971 for loving his own country. Around seven to eight-armed young
men, wearing face mask came to the front door of Sirajuddin Hossain's residence in Chamelibagh,
Dhaka. They asked for Sirajuddin Hossain's identity and where he worked, and as soon, he replied
with 'Ittefaq', he was kidnapped from the scene. Sirajuddin Hossain was never seen after the
incident, and his body was lost between the other victims of the massacre of the intellectuals,
just a few days before Bangladesh got its victory. He left the world, leaving his wife alone with
their children, but after 42 years, they could feel the taste of justice. As Mojaheed, who had his
hand behind Al Badr's formation and the killing of Sirajuddin Hossain was finally sentenced to
death for his war crimes (Manik, 2015) (Sarwar, 2018).
Sirajuddin Hossain played a vital role in the Liberation war and because of him the people of
East Pakistan could get the daily updates on the war, even when there was censorship in the
media at that time. His contribution to the war and the people of Bangladesh is incomparable
and is also mentioned in the writings above. He sent his oldest son to the war as a freedom
fighter, even when he knew there could be a chance of not seeing him again, a great sacrifice
for a father and this is out of the love for his country. As an architecture student, one knows
how difficult it is to think creatively and critically, and Sirajuddin did precisely that as a
journalist in the time of the war. Hence, his hard work towards Bangladesh increased my
respect towards Sirajuddin Hossain and thus the reasoning for choosing him in this report.
While researching him, I learned a great deal of new information to me and unclear things. I
got to recognize more about the history of Bangladesh and how we got our independence
through our people's blood. It made me respect the people of that time and how bravely
everyone together got us our victory. This exercise made me realize that I am proud to be a
Bengali and always be there if my country needs me.

References
Bangladesh Awami League. (2020, December 14). Martyred Intellectual Day, Bangladesh: Our Deepest
Tribute to The Brightest Minds of Our Soil. Retrieved from Bangladesh Awami League:
https://www.albd.org/articles/news/32319/Martyred-Intellectual-Day,-Bangladesh:-Our-
Deepest-Tribute-to-The-Brightest-Minds-of-Our-Soil

Boissoneault, L. (2016, December 16). The Genocide the U.S. Can’t Remember, But Bangladesh Can’t
Forget. Retrieved from Smithsonian Magazine:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/genocide-us-cant-remember-bangladesh-cant-
forget-180961490/
Hasan , K. (2017, December 14). Martyred Intellectuals Day: Where is the official list of martyred
intellectuals? Retrieved from DhakaTribune:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/12/14/martyred-intellectuals-day-official-list-
martyred-intellectuals

Manik, J. A. (2015, June 16). Justice comes after she goes. Retrieved from The Daily Star:
https://www.thedailystar.net/country/justice-comes-after-she-goes-97957

Rahman, M. (2020, February 21). Language Movement and Emergence of Bangladesh. Retrieved from
Daily Sun: https://www.daily-sun.com/post/463815/Language-Movement-and-Emergence-of-
Bangladesh

Sarwar, M. (2018, December 10). Martyred editor Serajuddin Hossain and the Bangladesh revolution.
Retrieved from bdnews24: https://opinion.bdnews24.com/2018/12/10/martyred-editor-
serajuddin-hossain-and-the-bangladesh-revolution/

Shawon , A. A. (2020, June 6). JUNE 7, 1966: Six Points were Bengalis’ charter of freedom. Retrieved from
Dhaka Tribune: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/06/06/june-7-1966-six-
points-were-bengalis-charter-of-freedom

Sohel, M. A. (2015, March 24). Hossain, Sirajuddin. Retrieved from Banglapedia:

http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Hossain,_Sirajuddin

Yusuf, A. (2015, April 23). STORY OF THE BANGLA PRESS . Retrieved from The Daily Star:
https://www.thedailystar.net/the-star/cover-story/story-the-bangla-press-3161