Nation observing Ekushey February paying tribute to language martyrs [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Nation observing Ekushey February paying tribute to language martyrs

Local February 21, 2016

The nation is observing Ekushey February paying tribute to the martyrs of the language movement of 1952 on Sunday renewing a pledge for the use of Bangla in all spheres of life.
People are paying homage to the language movement martyrs walking barefoot, singing Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February and placing wreaths and flowers at shaheed minars across the country on the Martyrs’ Day, also the International Mother Language Day.
Tens of thousands of mourners paid homage to the language movement heroes who made the supreme sacrifice for establishing Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan in 1952 from the zero hour past Saturday to Sunday afternoon.
Streams of mourners began filing past the shaheed minars after placing flowers at the altars across the country as clock struck the zero hour past Saturday with the nation paying homage to the martyrs in a beefed up security.
In the capital, thousands of people stood barefoot in queues at the Central Shaheed Minar from the first hours of Sunday.
The crowd at the Central Shaheed Minar increased at the dawn to pay tribute to the language heroes.
The president, Abdul Hamid, was the first to place a wreath at the altar on behalf of the nation a minute after midnight followed by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, as the head of the government.
The president and the prime minister stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of respect to the language movement martyrs. Hasina as the Awami League president, along with her party leaders, and cabinet colleagues, later placed another wreath at the monument on behalf of the party.
Jatiya Sangsad speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, leader of the opposition in parliament Raushan Ershad, diplomats, Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique along with the university teachers, among others, also paid tributes to the language martyrs in the first hour of the day.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia, along with her party leaders, placed wreath at the Central Shaeed Minar at about 1:30am.
Witnesses said that a group of BNP activists scuffled with volunteers when Khaleda Zia placed wreaths as the volunteers asked the BNP activists no to come to main alter wearing shoes.
Almost all political parties, student organisations and socio-cultural and professional groups paid tributes to the language movement heroes till Sunday noon.
People from all walks of life placed wreaths at the altar of the monument as Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February was sung as the Central Shaheed Minar was opened to public to pay respect after the dignitaries left. The altar of the monument was soon covered with wreaths.
Central Shaheed Minar premises, was decorated with Bangla letters against the backdrop of a rising sun.
People outside the capital also thronged shaheed minars across Bangladesh and other countries to pay tribute to the language in all district and upazila towns where various organisations also placed flowers and wreaths at local shaheed minars.
An activist of the ruling Awami League-backed student body Bangladesh Chhatra League was injured in an fighting during placing wreaths shaeed minar at Arpara of Shalikha upazila in Magura in the morning.
Witnesses said that supporters of upazila Chhatra League president Kutub Uddin Chanchal clashed with supporters of Chhatra League leader Muzahar Hossain leaving Muzahar’s supporter Biplab Hossain injured.
Police dispersed the activists charging baton and firing rubber bullets, the witnesses said.
Shalikha police officer-in-charge Fakhrul Islam, however, denied firing gunshots.
Two crude bombs were exploded at central Shaheed Minar in Jessore on Saturday midnight when people were placing wreaths.
Witnesses said that some miscreants hurled the two crude bombs targeting the altar at about 12:10am, triggering panic among people who assembled there to pay homage to language martyrs.
Jessore assistant superintendent of police Shafin Mahmud said that the explosions took place just after local lawmaker Kazi Nabil Ahmed, deputy commissioner Humayun Kabir and superintendent of police Anisur Rahman left Shaheed Minar after placing wreaths.
Ten people were slightly injured in stampede after the blasts and they were given first-aid, police officials said.
Kotwali model police station officer-in-charge Illlias Hossain said it the miscreants could not be identified.
On February 21, 1952, which fell on Phalgun 8, 1359 on the Bangla calendar, the rulers of what was then a united Pakistan banned rallies and processions to stop protests against the announcement that Urdu would be the only state language even though a majority of the combined population spoke Bangla.
It was the first uprising of Bengalis against the colonial attitude of Pakistani rulers that became the prime inspiration for their struggle for self-determination throughout the 1950s and the 1960s leading to the emergence of the independent Bangladesh through a nine-month war.
Ekushey February, formally known as Shaheed Dibas or Martyrs’ Day, has come to be observed as International Mother Language Day since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism after a proclamation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in November 1999.
The national flag was hoisted at half-mast atop government, autonomous and private buildings. The day is a public holiday.
Black flags were hoisted to pay tributes to the martyrs, including Salam, Jabbar, Rafiq and Barkat who were killed in police firing into a students’ procession brought out defying Section 144 demanding Bangla as a state language in February 1952.
Like the previous years, Dhaka University supervised the Amar Ekushey observance programmes. Fine arts students decorated the walls around the monument with floral designs. Roads, dividers and islands were decorated with the national flag, festoons and cardboard cut-outs with Bangla letters.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police had taken all-out security measures for a smooth observance of Amar Ekushey.
The state-run Bangladesh Television aired live the observance at the Central Shaheed Minar.
Bangladesh Betar and private television and radio channels are airing special programmes on the occasion. Newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
Bangladeshis living abroad are also observing the day, reports reaching Dhaka said.
A number of organisations across the country are holding different programmes such as discussion, free medical camps and blood donation programmes marking the day.
The president, the prime minister, the leader of the opposition in parliament, the BNP chairperson, and other political leaders gave messages on the occasion.