Bangla Language Movement [ 21 February 1952 ]

[DyingSoul]

Bangla Language Day, popularly known as Ekushe (21) February, is one of the most significant days, not in Bangladesh only, but in human history because on that day the valiant Bangalee boys gave their lives to defend their sweet mother tongue, Bangla language. Over the centuries people gave their lives for love, faith, freedom, nation and the state. But on 21 February 1952, ever in history, a bunch of young Bangalee students gave their lives in a protest rally at the Dhaka university campus against the Pakistani authority’s attempt to impose Urdu (as the state language of Pakistan) over the 70 million Bangalees of East Bangla (then East Pakistan).


Bangla Language Movement: A Synopsis of Events

Bangla Language Day procession in Dhaka University

Politically conscious and culturally advanced Bangalees of East Bangla were instrumental in the creation of the British pampered Islamic state Pakistan. Although the Lahore Proposal (proposed by a Bangalee, Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq) originally proposed a confederation of Muslim majority states for Pakistan, the proposal was never unearthed since the partition (1947). Since the birth of Pakistan, the rulers of Pakistan motioned to colonize the Bangalees (and the Baluch, the Pathans, the Pustus) culturally, economically, ideologically (dominant ideology has always been Islam), linguistically and politically. In 1948, the year after the partition Jinnah, the self-proclaimed champion of Islam (which constitutes only the addition of an Islamic hat on his black suit, not the abandonment of his favorite drink, scotch and favorite breakfast, bacon) and the founder of so-called Islamic state Pakistan, declared that “Urdu and Urdu only, will be the state language of Pakistan”. The people (especially the university students) of Bangladesh protested against Jinnah’s presumptuous statement. Among the politicians only Dhirendra Nath Datta stood against Jinnah’s statement in the parliament and proposed Bangla (the language of the majority) as the state language of Pakistan. But like the Lahore proposal Datta’s state language bill was shoved under the carpet. Four years later, on 26 January 1952, Khaza Nazimuddin, the premier of Pakistan, assuming that the state language issue being considerably subsided, reiterated Jinna’s statement, in a public meeting at the Paltan ground, to secure his position in the parliament. The pro-Pakistani newspapers gave Nazimuddin’s speech massive media coverage. The ruling Muslim leaguers and their Islamic brethren started scratching their beards in anticipation of camels, deserts and dates in this life and 70 lusty houries hereafter.

The students of Dhaka University, unlike the goatee buffoons in the establishment, burst into a vehement protest against Nazimuddin’s speech the very next day and two of the leading student organizations, East Pakistan Jubo (Youth) League and East Pakistan Students’ League, organized a protest meeting and rally at the Amtala (the grassy foyer under the old Mango tree in front of the Arts faculty) of Dhaka University on 27 January 1952. In that meeting Habibur Rahman Shelly, a distinguished student of Dhaka university, publicly criticized Jinnah’s statement of 1948, gutless Liakat Ali’s unabashed sycophancy and Nazimuddin’s mimicry of Jinnah.

In order to turn the language issue into a systematic political movement the students of Dhaka University later formed an Action (Sangram) Council and elected Abdul Matin the convener of the council. Under the banner of this council three students organizations, East Pakistan Jubo League, East Pakistan Students’ League and the United Students’ Sangram (Action) Council held a students’ strike and protest rally in the Dhaka University campus on 30 January 1952. Khalek Newas Khan of Mymensingh chaired that meeting. This meeting was a warm up call for the Bangalees of East Bangla.


All Party State Language Action Council

On 31 January 1952 a conference of the leaders of all opposition parties were held in the Dhaka Bar Council Library. Maulana Bhasani, the leader of East Pakistan Awami League, called the conference. Leaders from Khilafat-e-Rabbani, Tamuddun Majlish, University Students’ Sangram Parishad, East Pakistan Muslim Students’ League and East Pakistan Youth League attended the conference. In that conference All Party State Language Action Council was formed and Maulana Bhasani was elected chairman of the council and Golam Mahbub convener. This committee later declared 21 February to be the “Language Day” and called on strike, meetings and procession all over the country. Around the country, thousands of student activists from the three mainstream students’ organizations took on the streets to make “Language Day” a political success.


4 February 1952: Student Protest Meeting in Dhaka University [ recounted by Gaziul Huq ]

“Being unable to wait for the chair, I jumped on the table and after a short speech announced the action plan. Ten thousand students were present in the university campus. A large procession of ten thousand students rallied around the Dhaka city and then gathered, following the procession, at the Beltala of Dhaka University. In that public gathering people around the province were called on to make 21 February Strike a success.”

“Around 3 pm on 20 February while we were making a list of volunteers at Madhu’s canteen, we heard the government making microphone announcement declaring curfew (Emergency Act 144) for the following day (21 February). The students present resented the official enforcement of the Act 144 on the “Bangla Language Day”.

“Later that evening in a meeting at the Salimullah Muslim Hall chaired by Fakir Shahabuddin it was decided that Act 144 would not be tolerated. It had to be broken. And this decision had to be passed on to the All Party State Language Action Committee. Chaired by Abdul Momen another meeting was held in Fazlul Huq hall and it was decided that Act 144 would have to be defied”.


Hartal or Election? The dilemma of the opposition political parties

By the evening of 20 February 1952 three political forces took different stances with regard to the action programs of the language day (21 February):

a. The establishment (Muslim League) was determined to crash the language movement by any means even by using severe force if necessary (they feared the secular aspect of the language movement which, they were afraid, could undermine the Islamic ideology on underlying the philosophical foundation of Muslim League)

b. Due to the sudden declaration of Emergency by the provincial government, the All Party State Language Action Committee decided to withdrew the hartal because they feared that the political turmoil that the hartal was likely to cause might give the Nurul Amin government an opportunity to defer the council election (which they were more concerned with) indefinitely.

c. For the student leaders the issue of the mother tongue was the only concern. So leaving the political parties indulge in absurd political discussions, the Banga boys of Dhaka University decided to break the curfew for the Bangla alphabet and teach the parasitical Muslim league establishment a real lesson for meddling with their mother tongue.

On this day while the students and political activists were busy all over Dhaka city campaigning for the hartal to force the govt to accept their demand to recognize Bangla as the state language of Pakistan (Bangalees were majority), few vans from the publicity department of the Muslim League government kept announcing around city declaring curfew, under Act 144, on 21 February 1952 and government ban on all political gathering, meeting and procession on that day.


21 February 1952

From 8 o’clock onwards, small groups of school students from all over Dhaka city marched towards the Dhaka University campus and assembling at the Arts faculty foyer of Dhaka University. College students’ processions joined the school boys by 9 am. By 9:30 thousands of students from different university halls, Medical and Engineering College (now BUET) hostels streamed into the assembly via various routes. By 11:30 the total number of students assembled reached nearly 20-25 thousands. “We demand Bangla be the state language” slogan filled the air. The armed police began patrolling the streets in front of the Arts Building and behind them the ‘tear gas’ squads took position and waited for instruction.

Amtala, Arts Building, Dhaka University

[DyingSoul]

Thursday, 21 February 1952, 3:00 pm: The alphabet bleeds

The fight between the students and the police forces went on and on. But the situation reached its darkest phase when, around 3 pm, a group of armed police, instructed by district magistrate Koreshi, sprang out from behind the shop opposite to Dhaka Medical College hostel and took position in the hostel ground and opened fire. Some bodies fell on the streets, streaming blood dyed the roads with crimson hue. Some precious young lives turned into Bangla alphabet. In the tear gas afflicted murky ground of Dhaka University the fight between the cops and students went on unaware of the great sacrifice of human lives, first in human history, for the defense of the mother tongue.

Despite brutal firing and tear gas attack, the police could not occupy the medical college hostel. The students kept them at bay by throwing bricks. Soon the news of police shooting the students spread like thunderbolt. Life in Dhaka turned into a standstill. Thousands of people streamed into the Dhaka medical hospital to pay their tribute to the martyrs. Shocked and grief-struck their face turned stone, amber in their hearts.

The First Shahid Minar

The bodies of the dead and the injured were taken to the Dhaka medical hospital. Doctors and nurses rushed into the emergency department to save their lives. One of the bodies was unidentifiable because the head was blown away. Later it was identified as martyr Barkat’s dead body. Mourning became the East Bangla.

Later that evening the dead bodies were taken to the morgue. As the police snatched few unidentified dead bodies from the teargas afflicted public earlier that afternoon, the students, fearing that the police might try to do it again, guarded the morgue gate. But in the dead of the night, a group of armed commando troops, escorted by the police, stormed the morgue gate and forcibly took the dead bodies at the gun point. But a few die-hard students followed the military jeeps on foot and watched them dumping the dead bodies in the nearby Ajimpur cemetery. As soon as the army left the cemetery, the students came out of their hidings and marked the spots where the martyrs were dumped. The following morning thousands of people went to the cemetery and paid their tributes to the martyrs of Bangla language movement.



Language Heroes

Rafiq, Salam, Barkat, Jabbar and lot many lives

Rafiq (Rafiq Uddin Ahmed): The eldest son of Abdul Latif Miyan and Rafiza Khatun, Shahid Rafique hailed from Paril a village in the Manikganj district. The Miyan family runs printing business, a business Rafiq was running in 1952. Rafique had four younger brothers: Rashid, Khaleque (a freedom fighter) Salam and Khorshed Alam. Rafique was distinguished, since his childhood, as a supportive, upright, patriotic social worker with passion for music and theatre. He staged and acted in various plays in the neighboring villages.

A pretty cousin of his, gorgeous Rahela Khanom Panu from the next door neighbor, was Rafiquw’s sweet heart. Their passionate love affair was recognized by Rafique’s parents and they organized their wedding. Accompanied by his nephew, Rafique went to Dhaka for shopping for his forthcoming wedding.

On 21st February 1952, although scheduled to return home with his shopping-sari, blouse, churies, alta (lac dye), powder and some ornaments-Rafique, due to his love for Bangla language, instead of going home, joined the protest rally of Bangla Language Movement organized by the students of Dhaka university leaving his shopping with his nephew. His love for his mother tongue surpassed his life long passion for his sweet heart Panu to whom he never returned as a groom. Shot dead by the Paki cops in the language procession on 21st February, Rafique’s dead body was later dumped by the Paki commandos (who stole the dead bodies of language martyrs from Dhaka Medical college morgue) in the Azimpur grave yard where thousands of Bangalees paid their homage the next morning.

Barkat (Abul Barkat): An MA final year student of the department of political science of Dhaka University. Barkat was born on 16 June 1927 at Babla village of Murshidabad district in India. His father’s name was late Shamsuddin and his local address was Bishnu Priya Bhaban, Purana Paltan, Dhaka.

Salam (Abdus Salam): A staff member of the industrial directorate. Salam was shot on 21st February and died in Dhaka Medical College hospital on 17 April 1952. Father: Mohd Fajil Miah.

Jabbar (Abdul Jabbar): Bangla Language martyr Abdul Jabbar was born on 26 Ashwin, 1326B (1927) in Pachua village, Gaforgaon, Mymensingh. His father’s name was Hasen Ali and mother’s name Safatun Nesa. Jabbar was the eldest son of his family. His schooling started in 1333B (1934) at the Dhopaghat Krishibazar Primary school. After finishing year five at the primary school, Jabbar quit school being upset with his father and left home.

Jabbar, however, returned home after a few months. But later he left for Rangun from Narayanganj. The captain of the ship Jabbar boarded on to go to Ranguan promised him a job in the ship. But he never got the job due to poor health. Returning home, Jabbar organized a village defense group with boys from the neighborhood and took the led the group as its commander. In 1949 he married one of his friends’ sister, Amina Khatun, and settled down. One and a half year after the marriage Jabbar and Amina had a baby boy. The boy was named Nurul Islam Badol.

In February 1952 Jabbar’s mother-in-law fell ill. Jabbar took her to Dhaka for treatment. With the help of one Sirajul Islam, a doctor from the neighboring village, Jabbar managed to admit his mother-in-law in Dhaka Medical College Hospital. In 1952 the Provincial Assembly of East Bangla was next to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Dhaka of February 1952 was a political volcano. Meetings, processions, rallies and picketing were everyday events in the Dhaka university campus. On 19 February, Jabbar took leave of all his relatives. After dinner while he was taking leave from her aunt Aysha Khatun, she affectionately tied the buttons of his shirt. Jabbar spent the night of 20 February at some Abdul Hai’s residence.

In the morning of 21 February Jabbar went to hospital to see his mother-in-law. After spending some time with Dr Sirajul Islam, Jabbar went outside the hospital gate to buy some fruits for the patient. The procession of language movement was culminating outside. Crowds with fiery eyes and thundering slogans-We demand Bangla as state language-turned the university campus into a battleground. The spirit of the protesting crowd sucked Jabbar in within a flash. Mother-in-law, hospital, fruits all faded away from his memory. Jabbar became the crowd, he carried the banner in front of the procession. When the police opened fire, Jabbar being in the front line, was one of the first to fall.

With Barkat and other martyrs of language movement, Jabbar was immediately taken into the emergency. Jabbar breathed his last on the way to the operation theatre: the first martyr to be one with eternity.

Shafiur Rahman: 28 years old High Court staff and a law student Shafiur Rahman was killed by the Pakistani troops beside the Khoshmahal Restaurant near Rathkhola on Nababpur road. Shafiur Rahman was the father of a daughter and left behind his pregnant wife and a big family dependent on his income. His father’s name was Maulabi Mahbubur Rahman and he was born in Konnagar village of the Hugli district in India.

Ahi Ullah: Details of language martyr Ahi Ullah are still unknown as the police later captured his dead body and dumped. He was the son of a builder named Habibur Rahman.

Abdul Awal: Abdul Awal died under the police truck used to disperse the funeral procession of the martyrs of the Bangla language movement.

An unidentified boy: Like Abdul Awal, this unidentified lad was run over by the police truck used to disperse the funeral procession of the martyrs of the Bangla language movement. His death was never acknowledged by the Pakistani government.



ei manush gulo bangla vahashar jonno jokhon ei vabe fight korcilo..tokhon 1 bar o chinta kore ni je "40/50 yrs pore amader nam keu mone rakhte pare"..or tader nam asholei keu mone rakhbe ki na..ei typ kono chinta hoyto tader mathay ashei ni..they just did it..and gave us the language "BANGLA".

[DyingSoul]

jani pura lekha onekei porbe na..bt tar poreo..

nijer vitore ki kono feelings hoy..?

[DyingSoul]

21 February 1956: Shaheed Barkat's sister, sister-in-law and mother standing in front of the foundation stone of the central Shaheed Minar

[Lamia]

As i've told u earlier, tumi guchay shundor vabe ekta jinish organized vabe korte paro..
Great infos.. Dekhe sotti oneek vallaglo..

[Icy]

Onek shundor hoise post ta.. Onek kichu new kore abaro janlam.. Thanks a lot DyingSoul ..

[ami_tiptip_bristi]

good job dying soul...

[Force_Recon]

nijer vitore ki kono feelings hoy..?

onek hoye.shorom lage amar jehetu ami English Banglar theke beshi ebong valo boli.ei vasha ke Bangalira dine dine kom pradhanno ditese.

anyways,nice thread.may God bless the souls of the martyrs.
wasn't this language movement done by the Bengalis the first of its kind?

[robin]

dying soul.............thnx...............

[DyingSoul]

Originally Posted by Force_Recon

wasn't this language movement done by the Bengalis the first of its kind?

yah..no other nation did this before..

that's why 21th feb iz the International Mother Language Day..

we should be proud of it..and obviously we should feel what ppl did in 1952..