The nation is observing Amar Ekushey -- the Language Martyrs' Day (Shaheed Dibosh) and the International Mother Language Day in a befitting manner today, marking the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes for upholding the right to speak their mother tongue Bangla.
The day is being observed around the world as UNESCO on November 17, 1999 recognised February 21 as the International Mother Language Day.
On behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Military Secretary Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury paid homage to the martyrs of the Language Movement by placing wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka at one minute past midnight.
Later, on behalf of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader along with presidium members Matia Chowdhury and Muhammad Faruk Khan, and Joint Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud and Cultural Affairs Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil placed another wreath.
Walking barefoot to Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and singing 'Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February', people from all walks of life paid their respect to the heroes of the Language Movement who sacrificed their lives for achieving the recognition of Bangla as the state language.
On February 21, 1952, students and the common people in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then Pakistani government's denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.
Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firings on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus defying section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of then Pakistan.
The government has requested people to follow the health guidelines outlined by it while placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar due to the Covid-19 situation.
The Cultural Affairs Ministry urged all to maintain the following rules:
Only five representatives from each organisation will be allowed to place wreaths while two people can place wreaths personally. People without mask will not be allowed to enter the Shaheed Minar premises. The authorities concerned should arrange hand-washing facility at the entrance of the Central Shaheed Minar, it said.
The ministry also asked for the deployment of volunteers to ensure the use of mask and hand sanitizers.
On the eve of the day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages.
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