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Ekushey February now also called just Ekushey, 21 February, Shaheed Dibas (Martyrs' Day) and, since
2000, international mother language day. On 21 February 1952, corresponding to 8 Falgun 1359 in the Bangla calendar, a number of students campaigning for the recognition of
Bangla as one of the state languages of pakistan were killed when police fired upon them.
Even before the creation of Pakistan in 1947, there had
been demands that Bangla be made the state language of Pakistan. In July
1947, Dr muhammad
shahidullah suggested that, after the departure of the British,
Bangla could be made the state language of the new state. Shortly after
the creation of Pakistan, at the first session of the Pakistan Legislative
Assembly on 23 February 1948, dhirendranath
datta proposed that Bangla be made one of the languages of
the Assembly along with English and urdu.
The proposal was rejected.
In March
1948, Governor General mohammed
ali jinnah arrived in East Pakistan. On 21 March 1948,
at a public meeting in dhaka,
he declared that Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan.
Subsequently khwaja
nazimuddin, who had become Prime Minister of Pakistan
following the assassination of liaquat
ali khan, visited East Pakistan in January 1952. On 27
January, at a public meeting at Paltan Maidan, he reiterated Jinnah's
pronouncement that Urdu would be the only state language of Pakistan. |
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The first Shaheed Minar |
In protest, the Dhaka University National Language Committee
called a token strike on January 30. A meeting was held on the day at
Amtala, on the university campus, where students pledged to carry
on the language
movement. A decision was also taken to observe a strike in
all educational institutions of the province on 4 February. The next day,
an all-party meeting was held at the Dhaka Bar Library at which Maulana
abdul hamid
khan bhasani presided. At the meeting a 40-member All-Party
National Language Action Committee was formed. The meeting supported the
strike call on February 4.
Accordingly, a strike was observed in all educational
institutions on February 4. A student meeting on the day called for a
province-wide hartal
on 21 February. The government, on its part, invoked Section 144 on 20
February, banning public meetings, rallies and processions. Opposition
politicians were unwilling to get involved in a clash with the government
just before a general election. The All-Party National Language Action
Committee, which met that night, decided by a majority vote not to violate
Section 144.
The student community, however, refused to accept this
decision. At a meeting on the morning of 21 February on the campus of
the arts faculty of the university (now dhaka
medical college and hospital), the students unanimously agreed
to stick to the earlier decision to defy Section 144. After the meeting,
they started gathering on the premises of the Medical College hostel.
From there they tried to proceed towards the Provincial Assembly where
a session of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly was about to begin.
The policemen on duty tried to disperse the students by firing blanks.
When this failed, the police fired into the crowd. In the firing abul
barkat, a university student, rafiq
uddin ahmed, a student of Debendra College, manikganj,
and abdul
jabbar, a young farmer from gaffargaon,
were killed. abdus
salam, a bank employee, was injured in the firing and died
in hospital later. At least two others are also believed to have been
killed in the firing that day.
The reaction to the police killings was immediate. People began
to gather on the premises of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. All
over the country, schools and colleges held protest meetings,
rallies and processions.
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Shaheed Minar
today |
Courtesy:
Amanul Huq |
To bring the situation under control, the government
enforced a curfew and deployed the army in Dhaka. Defying the curfew,
on 22 February, students alongside common people came out on city streets
to protest the killings. They participated in a gayebi janaza (funeral
prayer held without the dead body) on the Medical College campus. On the
night of 23 February, the students constructed a shaheed
minar (martyrs' memorial) on the spot where the students had
been killed. Three days later, the police demolished the memorial.
Nevertheless, the movement for the recognition of Bangla
as a state language gained momentum. After the resounding victory of the
united front
in 1954, Bangla was recognised as one of the state languages of Pakistan
at a session of the National Assembly on 9 May 1954.
Till 1971, the day was observed spontaneously, and served
as an occasion to revive the feelings of nationalism and Bengali nationhood.
After liberation, the day became a national holiday and the university
of dhaka took over the maintenance of the Shaheed Minar and
the surrounding area and the responsibility of organising the commemoration.
Colourful alpana
designs are painted on the ground, and Bangla verses and prose
passages about Bangla are written on the walls facing the Shaheed Minar.
At one minute past midnight on 21 February, the President
of Bangladesh arrives at the Shaheed Minar to pay homage to the language
martyrs. He is followed by the Prime Minister, members of the cabinet,
staff of diplomatic missions in Dhaka, political leaders, representatives
of various institutions and organisations etc. Throughout the day, people
of all ages and from all walks of life visit the Shaheed Minar to pay
tribute to those who gave their lives for Bangla. Walking slowly, they
sing the mournful notes of the elegy, 'Amar bhaiyer rakte rangano ekushey
february ami ki bhulite pari' (Can I forget 21 February reddened with
the blood of my brothers?). Apart from this famous song, many poets have
written poems on 21 February. In commemoration of the day, bangla
academy holds a month-long book fair and organises literary
and cultural events throughout the month.
Special programmes are broadcast and telecast highlighting the importance of the day. Different cultural organisations also arrange various functions. Newspapers publish special supplements.
Ekushey February played an important role in making Bengalis
aware of their cultural and national heritage and ultimately led to the
creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Since 2000, 21 February is also being
observed as International Mother Language Day in tribute to those who
sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue.
[Ahmed Rafique]
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