December 14 is Martyred Intellectuals Day. People from all walks of life are paying tribute to the best sons of the nation, including Feni, in various events. Although the names of a total of 10 martyred intellectuals from Feni have been included in the published gazettes, the name of martyred poet and journalist, Feni's creative daughter Selina Parveen has not been included in the gazette even today.
Out of the 191 intellectuals included in the first gazette, 8 names are from Feni. They are - Zahir Raihan, Dr. Anam Fazlul Haque Mohi, Dr. Captain Badiul Alam Chowdhury, Engineer Shafiqul Anwar, Dr. Major Rezaur Rahman, Shahidullah Kaiser, Dr. Siddique Ahmed and Dr. Sirajul Haque Khan.
In the second phase, the names of 3 more martyred intellectuals from Feni have been included in the gazette. They are - Dr. Rafiq Ahmed, Engineer Shafiqul Anwar and Engineer Sekandar Hayat Chowdhury. Among them, Engineer Shafiqul Anwar's name is included in two phases.
However, even after 53 years of independence, the work of preparing the final list of martyred intellectuals has not been completed. The previous government has recognized 334 martyred intellectuals through the gazette. Among them, the names of 10 intellectuals from Feni were included, but Selina Parveen was not included.
According to relevant sources, the first meeting of the verification committee regarding the preparation of the list of martyred intellectuals was held on December 13, 2020. Initially, the names of 1,222 people were approved in that meeting. Later, the government published the names of 191 of the approved people in the first phase in the form of a gazette. After this, the gazette was published in the second phase on June 20, 2022, in the name of 143 martyred intellectuals.
People have been remembering the martyred intellectuals with respect every year since 1971. The country's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed declared December 14 as Martyred Intellectuals' Day. Because intellectuals were killed during the nine months of the Liberation War, but before surrendering, especially on that night, Pakistani forces and their allies systematically raided the residences of intellectuals, abducted them, and killed them.
Former VP and Principal of Dhaka University Central Students' Union-DUCSU, Mahfuza Khanam, said at the 'Martyred Journalist Selina Parveen Journalism Award 2020' ceremony, 'Selina Parveen was the only woman found in the Royer Bazar massacre. But there is no state recognition for her in any way, I do not know whether her name is mentioned. The state's responsibility was to present her to the next generation. But that was not done officially.
Selina Parveen was born on March 31, 1931 in Feni. Her father Abidur Rahman was a teacher. After World War II, their Feni house was occupied. After that, they moved to Dhaka.
Bangladesh was in turmoil during the 1969 mass uprising movement. Selina herself participated in this movement during the national crisis. She would take her son out with her to the '69 movement, the February 21 meeting or the Paltan public meeting. She would join the women's procession coming out of Shaheed Minar. She would also participate in the protest meetings of intellectuals.
Due to her closeness to people like Professor Munir Chowdhury and Shahidullah Kaiser, she became confident in socialism. In the meantime, the great Liberation War had begun. Selina Parveen did not flee anywhere during the Liberation War. She stayed at her home in Dhaka with her family. During the war, young people would go to her home to eat and drink and collect necessary medicines before leaving.
December 13, 1971. Only three days were left for the country to be independent. Several regions of the country had already been liberated. Journalist Selina Parveen then lived in Siddheswari, 115 New Circular Road. There were three of them living in the house. She, her mother and her brother Waziruddin, along with their infant son Sumon, were all on the roof that winter morning. Selina Parveen was applying oil to Sumon. While Sumon was playing on the roof, Selina was sitting on a chair and writing a piece of writing. Curfew was in effect all over the city. On the street, letters were being dropped from planes to surrender. Suddenly, there was a sound of a car in the distance. An E.P.R.T.C. Fiat microbus and lorry stopped opposite Sumon's house. A few people broke through the main gate of that house and entered. They were all wearing the same color clothes. Their faces were covered with handkerchiefs.
When they reached Sumon's flat, they knocked on the door. Selina Parveen herself opened the door. The people confirmed her identity. At that time, the people had several conversations with Selina Parveen. Then they took Selina Parveen with them. She went and never returned.
