Published: 12:47 AM, 18 May 2026
Bangla Language Movement in Assam: A Memorable Chapter in History
Babul Chandra Sutradhar
In the current era of scientific technology, there are various means of communication for people. Modern people are somehow connected to one or more means to fulfill their needs or demands. Nevertheless, the basic element of all types of communication is language, this is indisputably true. Whatever the type or nature, it is with language that people have created the foundation of civilization. The contribution of language in the formation and development of mutual relations among human groups is unique. The primary school of language learning is the family, the teacher is the mother. Therefore, a special consciousness can be observed among all people about the mother tongue. In this connection, it can be said that language is a fundamental human right, like food, clothing, housing, medicine, education and entertainment. And, since the concept of 'birth' is given special importance as the storehouse of all rights, the place of language in this regard is absolutely clear and specific.
As Bengalis, our mother tongue is Bengali. Bengalis had to conduct three separate movements for this language. I do not know whether such a movement and struggle was needed for any other language in the world. The main phase of the Bengali language movement was centered in Dhaka (1948-1952), the second phase was centered in Silchar in Assam (1960-1961) and the third was centered in Manbhum between West Bengal and Bihar (1912-1956). Despite the shedding of much blood, Bengali and the Bengali language won in all three phases. Our current discussion is the Bengali language movement in Assam.
Assam, the northeastern state of India, is known as a multilingual state. At different times in history, different castes and tribes have settled here permanently and have continued to practice their own culture unhindered. The Bengalis of Assam are no exception. The Assamese, the original inhabitants of Assam, did not look favorably on the Bengalis. They were afraid and skeptical of the knowledge, intelligence, education and initiation of the Bengalis. Therefore, they launched an attack on the language, the main tool for the advancement of Bengalis. Obsessed with the narrow-minded idea that Assam belongs only to Assamese and Bengalis are outsiders here, the Assamese started various types of discriminatory behavior after the partition of the country. The Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi, condemned such narrow-mindedness and mischief. With the threat of stopping grants, Assamese was ordered to be introduced as the only medium in educational institutions. As a result, all but a nominal 2/3 of the 250 schools run in Bengali were closed.
In early 1960, the struggle for the Bengali language began in Assam. In April of this year, a proposal was raised in the Provincial Congress Committee to declare Assamese as the sole official language of the province. In protest against this, Bengali speakers living in the entire province erupted. At one point, it turned into an Assamese-Bengali struggle. Extreme repressive activities began from July. As a result, about fifty thousand Bengalis were forced to flee to West Bengal and about ninety thousand Bengalis left the Brahmaputra valley and took refuge in the Barak valley. The report of a commission of inquiry formed during this time mentioned that 4019 huts and 58 houses in 25 villages in the Goreshwar area of Kamrup district were destroyed. 9 Bengalis were brutally killed and more than a hundred were injured.
In order to accelerate the movement in favor of the Bengali language, the 'Nikhil Assam Bengali Language Conference' was held on 2-3 July 1960. In addition to Bengali speakers, leaders of other castes and tribes joined this conference. They demanded a stay on the declaration of Assamese as the sole state language. In the meantime, on 10 October 1960, Assam Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha introduced the ÔState Language Bill’ to recognize the Assamese language as the sole official language of Assam. Bengali legislators opposed it, but due to numerical limitations, it did not see the light of day. On October 25, the ÔState Language Bill’ was passed in the Legislative Assembly. As a result, the Bengali-speaking population became angry. They considered it an insult to not give Bengali any place as the language of the second majority population of the province. The movement, which started as a Satyagraha, gradually turned violent. In order to accelerate the movement, the ÔCachar Gana Sanghati Parishad’ was formed on February 5, 1961. Along with the Bengali people, they celebrated ÔSankalpa Dibas’ (Day for promise) on April 14, the Bengali New Year. From April 19 to May 2, they marched 225 miles in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi with the aim of making Bengali-speaking people aware. Hundreds of people spontaneously joined it. The march ended in Karimganj on May 2. In their closing remarks, the leaders declared that if Bengali was not given the status of the official language, an all-out strike would be observed on May 19. Realizing the momentum of the movement, the main leaders of the Cachar Gana Sanghati Parishad were arrested on May 18.
On the declared hartal date of 19 May, Bengalis started picketing in Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. They engaged in picketing at various government offices. Their picketing was going on peacefully. But around noon, the jawans of Assam Rifles took up position at Silchar railway station. When the jawans tried to take 9 agitators in a truck, the mob surrounded the truck. Seeing no other option, the jawans abandoned the truck and fled with the driver and the prisoners. The mob set the truck on fire, later the fire brigade came and brought the fire under control. After some time, members of the paramilitary forces arrived there. They immediately started firing, in which 12 people were shot. 9 of them died that day and 2 died later. The deceased were Kamala Bhattacharya, Kanailal Niyogi, Chandicharan Sutradhar, Hitesh Biswas, Satyendranath Deb, Kumud Rnjan Das, Sunil Sarkar, Tarani Debnath, Sachindra Chandra Pal, Birendra Sutradhar and Sukomal Purkayastha. Some of the bullet-reddens died at different times in excruciating pain.
The next day, on May 20, a protest procession was taken out to Silchar carrying the bodies of the martyrs. Realizing the horror of the incident and the heinous atrocities committed by the Assam government, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself was deeply disturbed. He strongly condemned the incident and sent his Home Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to Assam. Shastri's visit and discussions led to a change in the policy of the Assam provincial rulers and Bengali was officially recognized as the official language of the Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi regions.
Later, a Shaheed Minar was built near the Silchar Railway Station in Gandhibagh in memory of those killed in the Language Movement. The ashes of the martyrs were mixed with the construction materials of the Shaheed Minar. The name of the Silchar Railway Station was changed to ÔBhasha Shaheed Station’. Another Shaheed Minar has been built at the gate of Assam University, whose eleven plaques commemorate the eleven martyrs. Every year on May 19, the Bengalis of Assam pay homage here and celebrate the day with due dignity.
Language is the main symbol of the identity of any nation. The relationship between language and nationality is absolutely inseparable. The existence of any nation cannot be imagined without language. To put it more simply, language also works at the root of all that people form culture by combining behavior, knowledge, customs, beliefs, traditions, habits, etc. Therefore, silencing a language means silencing a nation. The fire with which the unarmed people of Bangladesh jumped into the freedom movement, its flame was bathed in the blood of the language martyrs of 1952. That is why the country's independence was ensured by defeating the well-equipped Pakistani invading army. The Bengalis of Assam also took the lessons of that history to heart. Thus, they achieved their victory by deep intelligence and strong commitment!
On this day, I pay my humble respects to all the martyrs. May the mother tongue of all ethnic groups, including our beloved Bengali language, triumph. May everyone become dignified by practicing their own mother tongue.
Babul Chandra Sutradhar is a
researcher and a human
rights activist.
