Language movement: The role of the students

 

The basis of Bengali nationalism is the 52' language movement. The importance of the language movement behind the establishment of independent Bangladesh is undeniable. There is a historical background behind the Bengali language movement. Even though Bengali is the mother tongue of the majority of the people of Pakistan, attempts were made to impose Urdu as the state language in East Bengal in a completely undemocratic manner. Because of which a massive movement for the establishment of Bengali as the state language began on 2 September 1947 with the formation of 'Tamuddun Majlis'. With the initiative of some teachers and students of Dhaka University, the final success of that movement came. After the partition of the country in 1947, Bangalis were on the verge of losing their history, heritage and language, and culture.

The Pakistani rulers, with utter contempt for the Bengali language and culture, bound the Bengali nation in a new chain of subjugation on that day, with dire consequences. From the very beginning, Pakistan's neo-colonial regime has continued the stream of torture on the innocent people of this country. Their first plot trick was to snatch the oral language of the people of Bengal. As part of this, they decided to destroy the language and culture of the Bengalis and drew a blueprint to impose Pakistani tyranny on the Bengalis. The then President of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah came to Dhaka and made the announcement at a rally, But the students and youths of this country protested loudly against his bold declaration at that rally. The Pakistani government tried to suppress all protests by brutal force. The people of this country took on an uncompromising struggle against their discriminatory policies.

During the strike on 26 February, a rally was held at the Dhaka University premises under the chairmanship of Tamaddun Majlis Principal Professor Abul Qasim. Students of Dhaka University, Dhaka Medical College, Engineering College, and Engineering School boycotted classes and joined the rally in groups. In the context of the role of Sheikh Mujib in the strike on 26 February, Mozharul Islam said that it was noteworthy here that Sheikh Mujib gave strong leadership in the entire management and conduct of this procession. All progressive student leaders, including Sheikh Mujib, deeply felt the need to form an all-out movement to establish the demand for the Bengali language. The Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad was reconstituted on 2 March 1948. The all-party Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad was formed to build an active movement against the decision of the Constituent Assembly and the anti-Bengali language activities of the Muslim League. Sheikh Mujib was particularly active in the formation of this Sangram Parishad and his role was as strong as it was far-reaching.

When the students came out on March 15 and started picketing again, the staff of the secretariat and the clerks of the railways supported them. Meanwhile, as the day of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's visit approached, Khwaja Nazimuddin called for talks with the protesters. He sent two representatives to Kamaruddin Ahmed for an agreement. Kamaruddin quickly went to the university and talked to other leaders. He then went to Nazimuddin and wanted to talk to the jailed leaders before executing the agreement. The agreement was then signed with their consent. Meanwhile, many university students were not aware of the matter and continued their program. When it was found out, they considered it a conspiracy and demanded a clear statement from Khwaja Nazimuddin about the agreement. But Khwaja Nazimuddin did not open his mouth about this.

Khwaja Nazimuddin's speech on 27 January 1952 served as the main criteria behind the resurgence of the language movement. Khwaja Nazimuddin, the then Prime Minister, arrived in Dhaka on 25 January and delivered a long speech at a public meeting at Paltan Maidan on 27 February. He echoed Jinnah's words and said that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. In his speech, which was broadcast live on the radio, he further mentioned that no nation has been able to move forward on the path of prosperity with two state languages.

In protest of Nazimuddin's speech, the Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad held a protest meeting on January 29 and a student strike in Dhaka on January 30. On that day, students and leaders gathered at the Dhaka University office and decided to hold a strike and protest meeting on February 4. Later they marched towards Burdwan House (now Bangla Academy) with their procession. At a meeting held at the Bar Library Hall of Dhaka University on 31 January 1952, a 40-member 'All-Party Central State Language Working Council' was formed under the leadership of Maulana Bhasani. The meeting strongly opposed the government's proposal to write Bangla in Arabic script and supported the strike on January 30. The council adopted a detailed action plan for strikes, rallies, and processions on 21 February.

On February 20, the government banned meetings, rallies, and processions for a month and issued section 144. In a meeting that night, the 'All-Party State Language Struggle Council' violated Section 144 and decided to carry out the pre-determined program. Students of various educational institutions gathered at the Dhaka University premises from 9 am on February 21. They started protesting against the promulgation of Section 144 and called on the members of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly to consider the views of the general people on language. Police made a cordon around the meeting place. Deans and Vice-Chancellors of various faculties were present at that time.

At around 11.15 pm, the students gathered at the gate and tried to break the barrier and take it to the streets. Police fired tear gas and warned the students. Some students ran towards Dhaka Medical College at this time but the rest were blocked by the police on the campus of Dhaka University and started protesting against the police aggression. The vice-chancellor then told the police to stop throwing tear gas and the students to leave the university area. But violence erupted when police began arresting students as they left campus. Many students were arrested and taken to Tejgaon and released. In this incident, the students became more furious and resumed their activities. When the students left, the police started firing at the dormitory. After firing by Police some students were found lying on the veranda of the dormitory. Abdul Jabbar and Rafiq Uddin Ahmed were killed on the spot. Abul Barkat was injured at that time. Later he was declared dead.

When the news of the student's murder spread quickly, the people took the initiative to come to the spot. Soon all the offices, shops and transport were closed. The movement started by the students immediately took the form of a mass movement. Radio artists immediately decided to call an artist strike and the radio station began broadcasting previously held programs. Opposition members raised the issue in the legislature on 22 February. They called on Prime Minister Nurul Amin to visit the injured students at the hospital and adjourn the session. Some members of the ruling party also supported the call. But Nurul Amin did not respond to their call and continued the session and refused to go to the hospital. On 23 February, the students of Dhaka Medical College worked to build a martyr's memorial. The memorial pillar was inaugurated by the father of Shafiur Rahman, who died in the agitation. The monument was demolished by police on February 26.

The language movement was a student movement. The students protested, the students marched and the students went to jail. In their immediate response in 1947 and the beginning of the movement in 1952, they realized that their mother tongue Bengali was facing cultural aggression. Our expectation to the new generation is that the students who led the language movement in Bangladesh will be conscious of establishing the truth and will strive to establish the glorious history for getting the status as an official language of the United Nations.


The writer is a former Deputy Director-General Bangladesh Ansar VDP, columnist, and researcher.