Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 21 : Thousands of people on Friday paid their tribute to the people who laid down their lives during the historic language movement at the Central Shaheed Minar in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus paid tribute to them by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar to mark International Mother Language Day.
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 paid their respects to heroes.
Manindra Kumar Nath, Acting General Secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, said that people of Bangladesh sacrificed their lives against Pakistan for their language.
"We feel proud to respect the martyrs place here. You know in 1952, Bangladeshi people sacrificed their lives against Pakistan for their language", said Manindra Kumar Nath said.
"We are going on a democratic country of Bangladesh. Now it is an International Mother language Day celebrating the countries all over the world", he toldafter paying respect at the Shaheed Minar.
He said, "In the future, we hope our country will be a beautiful democratic secular country in the world."
The 1952 Bengali Language Movement was a political protest in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to establish Bengali as an official language.
In February 21, 1952, when students from the University of Dhaka protested the Pakistani government's decision to make Urdu the only state language. Students organized a peaceful procession to demand Bengali recognition. Police opened fire on the students, killing several of them.
Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and few other brave individuals were killed in police firing on the day in 1952. The Pakistani rulers were forced to recognize Bengali as the state language. The movement was a turning point in Bangladesh's history and played a crucial role in the country's struggle for independence.
UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day in 1999. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000.
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