Home ›› 22 Feb 2023 ›› Front
The nation on Tuesday recalled the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes on this day 71 years back with a fresh call for recognising Bangla as one of the UN official languages, marking the Shaheed Dibos and International Mother Language Day.
Thousands of people clad in black and white dresses especially traditional sharees and panjabees, who thronged the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka since midnight to pay their glowing tributes to the 1952 language martyrs, also demanded for launching the Bangla at everywhere.
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past zero hours while the immortal song on Amar Ekushey “Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February” was being played on the loudspeaker.
They stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the language heroes.
Later, on behalf of Awami League, its President Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the language martyrs placing a wreath at the Shaheed Minar.
Deputy Leader of the House Begum Matia Chowdhury, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, AL presidium members Dr Abdur Razzaque, Shajahan Khan, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Quamrul Islam, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman and Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, joint general secretaries Dr Hasan Mahmud, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Dr Dipu Moni were present on the occasion among others.
Then, Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah placed wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar.
On behalf of Leader of the opposition in parliament Begum Rowshan Ershad, Jatiya Party chairman GM Quader placed a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar.
Dhaka South City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and chiefs of three services also placed wreaths at the Shaheed Minar.
Marking the day, the highest security measures were enforced in and around the Central Shaheed Minar and Dhaka University campus to avoid any unwanted situation. Key city points and crossings and intersections were decorated with festoons with inscriptions of Bangla letters.
Earlier, on Monday, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages paying rich tributes to martyrs of the Language Movement. The day is also being observed around the world as UNESCO recognised the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999. Bangladeshi missions abroad are also observing the day in a befitting manner.
Marking the day, the Central Shaheed Minar and its adjacent areas of the Dhaka University campus were decorated with street paintings and graffiti with Bangla alphabets and selected verses of eminent poets about the mother languages on the walls.
On February 21 in 1952, students and people from all walks of life under the All-Party Students Action Committee took to the streets in Dhaka to protest the then Pakistan government’’s refusal to recognize Bangla as one of the state languages and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.
Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Shafique, Jabbar and some others embraced martyrdom when police opened fire on the procession in front of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
The movement for Bangla, however, did not stop and the Pakistan government on February 29, 1956 was compelled to recognise Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan besides Urdu.
