subject: Shaheed Minar for rememberance of those killed in the Language Movement in 1952 [print this page] Shaheed Minar for rememberance of those killed in the Language Movement in 1952
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Central Shaheed Minar:
The Shaheed Minar(located near dhaka medical college) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952.On February 21, 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla.
The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka.A makeshift monument was erected on February 23 by students of University of Dhaka and other educational institutions, but soon demolished on February 26 by the Pakistani police force.
The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu. To commemorate the dead, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight, during which the Pakistani Army estimates they inflicted 26,000 civilian deaths, while other organizations such as National Geographic estimate casualties numbering over 3 million.[citation needed] After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt.Today, the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered at the monument.
First Shaheed Minar:
The first Shaheed Minar was built immediately after the events of February 21. According to Saeed Hayder, a main planner and the designer of the first Shaheed Minar, the decision to build it was first taken by the students of Dhaka Medical College. The planning started at midnight on February 22 and the work started the next day.This Minar was sponsored by Pearu Sardar, one of the old dhaka panchayet sardars when some of the students asked his help at the midnight of 22 February to contribute the raw materials needed to build the monument. Although curfew was in place, students started building the Minar in the afternoon of February 23.
They worked through the night and finished it at dawn. A hand written paper was attached to the Minar with Shaheed Smritistombho' written on it. The original Minar measured 10feet (3.0m) by 6 feet.The Minar was inaugurated by the father of Sofiur Rahman, killed during the massacre. It was demolished within a few days by the police and Pakistani Army.
