Motiur, a student of class nine of Nabakumar Institution, was gunned down during a street march demanding autonomy for the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The killing sparked off a countrywide protest that led to the mass upsurge.

Leaders of BNP, Awami League and 11-party placed wreaths on the grave of Motiur at Nabakumar Institute in the morning. Different socio-political organisations organised milad mahfil and offered prayers for peace of the martyr's soul.

President Iajuddin Ahmed in a message called upon all to make their best efforts towards materialising the spirit of the mass upsurge of 1969 and build a prosperous nation as dreamt of by Shaheed Matiur Rahman.

In another message, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said the day was of immense significance for the nation and the spirit of the upsurge should remain as a source of inspiration for the future too.

"On this day in 1969, people forged resistance against the then autocratic rule. We have got our independence following the path of this mass upsurge," she said in the message on Sunday.

Khaleda paid rich tributes to the memories of Shaheed Motiur and other martyrs of the 1969 mass upsurge and prayed for their eternal peace.