Official recognition sought for martyrs’ memorial

Demand raised again on International Mother Language Day

RAJSHAHI: Language Movement veterans as well as common people of Rajshahi, who observe Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day every year, have once again demanded official recognition of the Language Movement martyrs’ memorial at Rajshahi College as the country’s first Shaheed Minar.
A post of clay and brick, erected at the entrance of the Muslim Hostel of Rajshahi College on the night of February 21, 1952, was the first memorial built in honour of the language martyrs, said Language Movement veterans and historians of Rajshahi.
Referring to documents and witnesses’ accounts, they sought official recognition of the memorial as the country’s first Shaheed Minar. On February 21, 1952, around 9pm, students in Rajshahi came to know that the police had opened fire on students in Dhaka, who had disobeyed Section 144 and organised processions on the streets. 
They learnt that many had been killed and others injured. An emergency meeting was held at the Rajshahi College Hostel. 
The meeting was attended by various members of the student community of Rajshahi: SMA Gaffar, Gholam Arif Tipu, Momtajuddin Ahmed Habibur Rahman, Abul Hossain, Saiduddin Ahmed, Abdur Rajjak and others. They formed a students’ action committee, selecting SMA Gaffar and Gholam Arif Tipu— both students of Rajshahi College at that time—as its president and secretary, respectively. 
They finally decided at the meeting that they will build a ‘Martyrs’ Monument-Tower’ in the memory of the students killed in police firing in Dhaka. Throughout that night, they collected clay, mud and bricks from different places of Rajshahi College and built the ‘Martyrs’ Monument Tower’ on February 21, 1952.
Muslim League activists, aided by police and Pakistani army personnel, however, damaged the ‘Martyrs’ Monument Tower’ in the morning. The following night, another monument was erected nearby, but it, too, was damaged. Most Shaheed Minars of Rajshahi were damaged during the 1971 Liberation War as well.
After Independence, the Shaheed Minar at the Muslim Hostel was rebuilt. It was reconstructed in 2009, bolstering the popular support for the demand for its recognition as the country’s first Shaheed Minar.
On February 19, 2009, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, the then mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, laid the foundation stone of the Shaheed Minar on the right side of the main entrance to the Muslim Hostel of Rajshahi College. Language soldier Abul Hossain said: “Despite submitting all kinds of documents and witnesses’ accounts, this Shaheed Minar has not been recognised by the state till now. We reiterate our demand that the state must recognise that the country’s first Shaheed Minar was built in Rajshahi College.” 
Fazle Hossain Badsha, Member of Parliament (MP) of Rajshahi Sadar, said it was true that the state could not officially recognise the Shaheed Minar in Rajshahi College, but the history of the Shaheed Minar was recorded in various documents of the Language Movement.
 “It is also recorded that this Shaheed Minar is the country’s first Shaheed Minar,” he added.
“I have provided the information to Parliament several times that the Shaheed Minar in Rajshahi College is the country’s first,” he said. “The government has allocated funds to renovate the Shaheed Minar. We will build a 52-feet-high new Shaheed Minar on the same spot very soon,” the MP added.

 

Official recognition sought for martyrs memorial

Demand raised again on International Mother Language Day

RAJSHAHI: Language Movement veterans as well as common people of Rajshahi, who observe Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day every year, have once again demanded official recognition of the Language Movement martyrs memorial at Rajshahi College as the countrys first Shaheed Minar. A post of clay and brick, erected at the entrance of the Muslim Hostel of Rajshahi College on the night of February 21, 1952, was the first memorial built in honour of the language martyrs, said Language Movement veterans and historians of Rajshahi. Referring to documents and witnesses accounts, they sought official recognition of the memorial as the countrys first Shaheed Minar. On February 21, 1952, around 9pm, students in Rajshahi came to know that the police had opened fire on students in Dhaka, who had disobeyed Section 144 and organised processions on the streets. They learnt that many had been killed and others injured. An emergency meeting was held at the Rajshahi College Hostel. The meeting was attended by various members of the student community of Rajshahi: SMA Gaffar, Gholam Arif Tipu, Momtajuddin Ahmed Habibur Rahman, Abul Hossain, Saiduddin Ahmed, Abdur Rajjak and others. They formed a students action committee, selecting SMA Gaffar and Gholam Arif Tipu both students of Rajshahi College at that timeas its president and secretary, respectively. They finally decided at the meeting that they will build a Martyrs Monument-Tower in the memory of the students killed in police firing in Dhaka. Throughout that night, they collected clay, mud and bricks from different places of Rajshahi College and built the Martyrs Monument Tower on February 21, 1952. Muslim League activists, aided by police and Pakistani army personnel, however, damaged the Martyrs Monument Tower in the morning. The following night, another monument was erected nearby, but it, too, was damaged. Most Shaheed Minars of Rajshahi were damaged during the 1971 Liberation War as well. After Independence, the Shaheed Minar at the Muslim Hostel was rebuilt. It was reconstructed in 2009, bolstering the popular support for the demand for its recognition as the countrys first Shaheed Minar. On February 19, 2009, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, the then mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, laid the foundation stone of the Shaheed Minar on the right side of the main entrance to the Muslim Hostel of Rajshahi College. Language soldier Abul Hossain said: Despite submitting all kinds of documents and witnesses accounts, this Shaheed Minar has not been recognised by the state till now. We reiterate our demand that the state must recognise that the countrys first Shaheed Minar was built in Rajshahi College. Fazle Hossain Badsha, Member of Parliament (MP) of Rajshahi Sadar, said it was true that the state could not officially recognise the Shaheed Minar in Rajshahi College, but the history of the Shaheed Minar was recorded in various documents of the Language Movement. It is also recorded that this Shaheed Minar is the countrys first Shaheed Minar, he added. I have provided the information to Parliament several times that the Shaheed Minar in Rajshahi College is the countrys first, he said. The government has allocated funds to renovate the Shaheed Minar. We will build a 52-feet-high new Shaheed Minar on the same spot very soon, the MP added.