North Bengal Sugar Mills will observe "the Gopalpur massacre day" today in memories of its then administrator Lt Md Anwarul Azim and his some 200 colleagues, who were slaughtered by Pakistani army on this day at the Gopalpur mill during the LiberationWar of 1971.

Programmes of the day, which the mill authorities call "Shaheed Day", include probhat ferry (morning procession), qurankhwani, milad mahfil and discussion. Azim's widow and family members of the other martyred will attend the programmes, says a press release.

A language movement hero and freedom fighter, Anwarul Azim directly commanded freedom fighters into crushing Pakistani soldiers in a frontline battle before Gopalpur railway station and blowing up Ishwardy airport.

Pakistani military avenged the defeat by mowing down Azim and nearly 200 officers and employees beside a pond on the mill premises and dumping the bodies into the water body.

In honour of Lt Md Anwarul Azim, the railway station of Gopalpur has been renamed as "Azim Nagar" and the pond as "Shaheed Sagar". The government recognised his sacrifice for the country by releasing a commemorative stamp in 1994.