C T Online Desk: President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus paid tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar to mark International Mother Language Day and Martyrs’ Day on Friday.
President Shahabuddin arrived at the Shaheed Minar exactly at 11:59pm on Thursday and placed a wreath as the clock struck 12:01am.
Dhaka University’s vice chancellor and other university officials met and greeted the president.
Yunus placed a floral wreath at the Shaheed Minar shortly afterwards.
DU VC Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan welcomed the chief adviser upon his arrival, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.
Earlier, in a message, Yunus said: “On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day, I pay tribute to people of all languages in the world, including Bangla. Since 2000, Bangladesh and Unesco have been jointly observing this day in a befitting manner. ‘Make Languages Count for Sustainable Development’ as this year’s Unesco topic is justified.”
He said the interim government established through the July uprising is working consistently to defend the dignity of the nation and its languages, which are essential to growth and prosperity.
“It is also working to ensure that the Bangla language is used in information technology. Textbooks in the mother tongues of various ethnic groups, including Braille books, are being distributed free of charge,” he added.
The nation is observing “Amar Ekushey,” Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day, marking the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes for upholding the dignity of their mother tongue Bangla.
The day is also being observed around the world as Unesco recognised “Ekushey February” as International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999.
Walking barefoot to Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and flowers singing “Amar Bhaiyer Rokte Rangano Ekushey February,”
people from all walks of life will pay their respects to the heroes of the Language Movement who sacrificed their lives to achieve the recognition of Bangla as the state language of erstwhile Pakistan.
On February 21, 1952, students and the public in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then-Pakistani government’s denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.
Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave individuals were killed in police firing on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus breaching Section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of then Pakistan.
The day is a public holiday.
