The historic Khapra Ward Day was observed on Wednesday at Rajshahi Central Jail and in the city paying rich tributes to seven detained communist political prisoners who were killed in 1950.
A 31-member team of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh and National Awami Party placed floral wreaths on the memorial plaque in front of the historic Khapra Ward inside the Rajshahi Central Jail.
In addition to placing wreaths at Shaheed Minar in front of the Khapra Ward, inside the jail, they observed one-minute silence there in memory of the slain leaders.
WPB general secretary Fazley Hossain Badsha, central committee members Rafiqul Islam Piarul, Debashish Pramanik Debu, Ashraful Haque Tota, lawyer Abu Sayeed, Abul Kalam Azad and Sirajur Rahman were present on the occasion.聽
The historic records said that on this day in 1950, the then on-duty jail guards following the order of a jailer shot dead seven communist party leaders, who were detained in Khapra Ward of Rajshahi Central Jail, when they tried to protest the inhuman behaviour meted out to them.
The detained were served low-quality food and deprived of other requisite facilities allowed under the jail code at the instruction of the then jail authority.
The slain communist leaders are Sukhendu Bhattacharya of Mymensingh, Baloram Singh of Dinajpur, Sudhin Dhar of Nawabganj, Delwar Hossain and Hanif Sheikh of Kushtia, Bijon Sen and Anwar Hossain of Khulna.聽
In observance of the day, Bangladesh鈥檚 founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and comrade Moni Singh visited the Khapra Ward in 1972.
After the country鈥檚 independence, Bangladesh鈥檚 founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman built a memorial plaque in front of the Khapra Ward to make the memory of the seven martyred communist leaders live forever.
Marking the day, the city unit of WPB organised a discussion at its party office. The local unit of CBP also organised a meeting at its office.聽
Besides, WPB, NAP and Chhatra Union jointly brought out a procession in the city to mark the day.