Language Movement Day or Language Revolution Day (ভাষা আন্দোলন দিবস), which is also referred to as Language Martyrs' Day or Martyrs' Day (শহীদ দিবস), is a national day of Bangladesh to commemorate protests and sacrifices to protect Bengali as a national language during Pakistan regime in 1952.
Background
Around 1950-52, the emerging middle classes of East Bengal underwent an uprising known later as the Language Movement. Bangladeshis (then East Pakistanis) were initially agitated by a decision by Central Pakistan Government to establish Urdu, a minority language spoken only by the supposed elite class of West Pakistan, as the sole national language for all of Pakistan. The situation was worsened by an open declaration that "Urdu and only Urdu will be the national language of Pakistan" by the governor, Khwaza Nazimuddin .
Protest
Police declared Section 144 which banned any sort of meeting. Defying this, the students of University of Dhaka and Dhaka Medical College and other political activists started a procession in February 21, 1952. Near the current Dhaka Medical College Hospital, police fired on the protesters and numerous people, including Abdus Salam, Rafique, Barkat, Jabbar died.
The movement spread to the whole of East Pakistan and the whole province came to a standstill. Afterwards, the Government of Pakistan relented and gave equal status of national langugage to Bangla.
Effects
This movement is thought to have sown the seeds for the independence movement which resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
Current day commemoration
To commemorate this movement, Shaheed Minar (শহীদ মিনার), a solemn and symbolic sculpture was erected in the place of the massacre. The day is revered in Bangladesh and, to a somewhat lesser extent, in West Bengal as the Martyrs' Day.
UNESCO decided to observe February 21 as International Mother Language Day. The UNESCO General Conference took a decision to that took effect on 17 November 1999 when it unanimously adopted a draft resolution submitted by Bangladesh and co-sponsored and supported by 28 other countries.
See also
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