National Monument in Dhaka,Bangladesh established to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952.

On February 21, 1952, Dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani Police force opened fire on the Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla. The genocide occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka. A makeshift monument was erected the same night by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions. However, it was demolished by the Police soon. The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu.

To commemorate the martyrs, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood in its solemn glory until 1971, when the Pakistani Army started their infamous genocide on the Bengali people. It was demolished completely. After Bangladesh gained independece, it was rebuilt.

Today, the Shaheed Minar is the center of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered with due respect at the monument.

See Also

• International Mother Language Day
• Language Movement

Related Links

• BanglaPediaBanglapedia article on the Shaheed Minar.