Shaheed Asaduzzaman Asad . Photo : Collected

DHAKA, Jan 19, 2026 (BSS) – Shaheed Asad Day commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Asaduzzaman Asad will be observed tomorrow.

In a message on the eve of the day, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said the supreme sacrifice of Shaheed Asaduzzaman Asad would inspire the new generation to fulfill their responsibilities for the country and stand for the truth for ages.

“Shaheed Asad Day is very significant in the history of Bangladesh's independence struggle . . . Asad, who sacrificed himself in the 1969 mass uprising, will be forever remembered among the democracy-loving and freedom-seeking people of Bangladesh,” he said in the message.

On January 20, 1969, police opened fire on a procession brought out by students and the public in front of Dhaka Medical College in support of the 11-point programme, said Prof Yunus. 

Dhaka University student leader Mohammad Asaduzzaman, who was leading the procession, was martyred in the firing and many were injured, he said.

The chief adviser said when the people of Bangla were disoriented by the discriminatory behavior and repression of the Pakistani dictator Ayub Khan government, the people's movement against this oppression took a new form.

The death of Asad took the mass upsurge to the highest peak as people of all classes and professions, demanding freedom, took to the streets expediting the fall of the then military dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan, he said.

The chief adviser prayed for the eternal peace of Asad’s departed soul and paid tribute to all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the welfare of the motherland, including Shaheed Asad.