Language

Movement:
Chronological history
1947

• May: Muslim League leader Chowdhury Khalequzzaman on

17 May in Hyderabad said Urdu will be the national language
of Pakistan. Litterateur Abdul Haque wrote four articles in
‘Ittehad’ and ‘Azad’ in June and July challenging the views. He
wrote, “Bengali will, undoubtedly, be the state language of
East Pakistan.”

• The then prominent newspaper Dainik Azad opens up

discussion on state language of East Pakistan from 30 June.
1947
• July: Aligarh University vice chancellor Ziauddin Ahmed in July said
“As Hindi is going to be the state language of India, so Urdu should be
the state language of Pakistan.” Professor Dr Muhammad
Shahidullah of Bangla department at DU instantly challenged the
opinion in a newspaper article “Pakistaner Bhasha Samasya”
published in Dainik Azad on 29 July. He said, “As the language of the
majority of people, Bangla should be the state language of Pakistan. If
the need arises to adopt the second language, Urdu can be
considered for that purpose.”
• August: The British India divided into two nations Pakistan and India
on 14/15 August annexing East Bengal with Pakistan based on the
religious identity of most of its dwellers.
1947, august
• the region of Bengal was divided along religious lines. The
predominantly Muslim eastern half was designated East Pakistan and
made part of the newly independent Pakistan while the predominantly
Hindu western part became the Indian state of West Bengal. Pakistan's
history from 1947 to 1971 was marked by political instability and
economic difficulties. Almost from the advent of independent Pakistan
in 1947, frictions developed between East and West Pakistan, which
were separated by more than 1,000 miles of Indian Territory. East
Pakistanis felt exploited by the West Pakistan-dominated central
government. Linguistic, cultural, and ethnic differences also
contributed to the estrangement of East from West Pakistan.
September 15, 1947, Tamuddun
Majlis
• September: Islamic cultural organisation Tamaddun Majlish was
formed under the leadership of professor Abul Kashem of physics
department at Dhaka University on 1 September. On 15 September, it
published a pamphlet “Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?
("Pakistan’s State Language: Bengali or Urdu?").
• Tamaddun Majlish adopted other resolutions Bangla should be used
as the medium of education, as the language of courts and language
of offices in East Bengal. The central government of Pakistan shall
have two state languages – Urdu and Bangla.
Purba Pakistan Sangbadik
Sangha
• November: On 4 November, Purba Pakistan Sangbadik Sangha (East
Paskitan journalists association) gave a memorandum, signed by almost all
the prominent writers, poets, government and non-government high
officials in Dhaka, to chief minister Khawaja Nazimuddin demanding an
announcement of Bengali as state language.
• But things were moving in the opposite direction in West Pakistan. In
December, a resolution was adopted in an Education Conference in Karachi
to make Urdu the only state language of Pakistan. It was also decided
Bangla would be dropped from all government stationeries, including
money-order forms, envelopes and post cards, which would be printed in
Urdu and English.
Minister of Education Fazlur
Rahman
• November 1947, In Karachi, the representatives of East Bengal
attending the Pakistan Educational Conference, called by the Minister
of Education Fazlur Rahman, a Bengali, propose Urdu as the only
national language.
sharp criticism from East
Pakistan
• December: The resolution drew sharp criticism from East Pakistan. A
protest meeting was organised on DU campus with professor Abul
Kashem in chair on 8 December. At the later part of December, State
Language Action Committee was formed with professor Nurul Haque
Bhuiyan as convener.
1948, Birth of East Pakistan
Students League
• January: Birth of East Pakistan Students League. Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman was its first president. The activists of the organisation
vowed to fight Muslim League propaganda to depict Bengali as a
language of Hindu community.
1948, Direndra Nath Dutta
• February: The state language issue was first tabled by Comilla’s MP
Dhirendranath Datta in the Assembly on 23 February. Muslim League
MPs opposed the move though Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and a
section of Bengali-speaking MPs supported it. The then prime
minister Liaqat Ali Khan said, “Pakistan is a Muslim state and it must
have as its lingua franca the language of the Muslim nation… and that
can be no other language but Urdu.”
State Language Action
Committee
• March: As a reaction to that, the direct action programme for state
language started in Dhaka. Teachers, students and intellectuals
formed “State Language Action Committee” at
the office of Tamaddun Majlish. The committee on 6 March called for
a general strike on 11 March demanding announcement of Bengali
as state language.
• Police made futile attempts to suppress the protest by baton-charge
and indiscriminate arrests on 11 March. The arrested include
Shamsul Haq, Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahbub, Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, Oli Ahad.
15 March, signing 8-point
agreement
• On 15 March, students called for a non-stop strike. Chief minister
Khawaja Nazimuddin staged a retreat signing 8-point agreement with
the State Language Action Committee. Student leader Kamruddin
Ahmed signed on behalf of the action committee. Later Jinnah
cancelled the agreement.
Two most important clauses of t
he agreement were:
• In the April (1948) session of the East Bengal legislative assembly a
special resolution will be moved to propose to the constituent
assembly of Pakistan to make Bengali one of the state languages of
Pakistan and to give Bengali the same status with Urdu in the
competative examinations of the central services of Pakistan.
• In the month of April another resolution will be moved in the East
Bengal legislative assembly to make Bengali the official language of
the province of East Bengal in place of English. Besides that, Bengali
will be the medium of instruction.
• শেখ মুজিব, শামসুল হক, অলি আহাদসহ ৬৯ জনকে গ্রেপ্তার করলে ঢাকায় ১৩-১৫ মার্চ ধর্মঘট পালিত হয়। এ অবস্থায় বাধ্য হয়ে পুর্ব
পাকিস্তানের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী খাজা নাজিমুদ্দিন ১৫ই মার্চ ৮ দফা চু ক্তিতে স্বাক্ষর করেন। চু ক্তিগুলো ছিল-

• ভাষার প্রশ্নে গ্রেপ্তার করা সবাইকে মুক্তি প্রদান করা হবে।

• কোলকাতা ভাষা শহীদ মিনার
• পুলিশি অত্যাচারের বিষয়ে তদন্ত করে একটি বিবৃতি প্রদান করা হবে।
• বাংলাকে অন্যতম রাষ্ট্র ভাষা করার জন্য পূর্ব বাংলার আইন পরিষদে একটি বিশেষ প্রস্তাব উত্থাপন করা হবে।
• সংবাদপত্রের উপর হতে নিষেধাজ্ঞা প্রত্যাহার করা হবে।
• আন্দোলনে অংশগ্রহণকারীদের বিরুদ্ধে কোন ব্যবস্থা গ্রহণ করা হবে না।
• ২৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি হতে জারিকৃ ত ১৪৪ ধারা প্রত্যাহার করতে হবে।
• পূর্ব বাংলার সরকারি ভাষা হিসাবে ইংরেজি উঠে যাবার পর বাংলাকে সরকারি ভাষা হিসাবে প্রবর্ত ন করা হবে।
• রাষ্ট্র ভাষা আন্দোলন " রাষ্ট্রের দুশমনদের দ্বারা অনুপ্রাণিত হয় নাই" এই মর্মে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী ভু ল স্বীকার করে বক্তব্য দিবেন।

• পাকিস্তানের গর্ভ নর জেনারেল মুহাম্মাদ আলী জিন্নাহ ১৯৪৭ সালের ১৯ মার্চ ঢাকায় আসেন৷ ২১ মার্চ সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যানে ঘোষণা দেন " উর্দু ই
হবে পাকিস্তানের একমাত্র রাষ্ট্র ভাষা। "। এরপর ২৪ মার্চ তিনি ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে একই ঘোষণা দিলে ছাত্ররা তার উক্তির চরম প্রতিবাদ জানায়।
তবে সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যানে এর ব্যতিক্রম হয় নি।
On 21 March, Mohammad Ali
Jinnah
• On 21 March, Mohammad Ali Jinnah addressed a huge rally at
Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrwardy Udyan). He said, “I would like
tell you in clear terms that the state language of Pakistan shall be no
other language but Urdu. If anybody tries to mislead you, he shall be
an enemy of Pakistan.” The students leaders, present at the rally,
protested the
Jinnah at Curzon Hall in Dhaka
University
• On 24 March, Jinnah repeated his stance in the Convocation Address
at Curzon Hall in Dhaka University. The movement became stronger
after Jinnah’s support for Urdu.
• On 26 March, a delegation of the action committee met Jinnah and
gave him a memorandum demanding Bangla as one of the state
languages, which was turned down.
•
April 8th, resolutions were passed
• April: On 8 April, two resolutions were passed in the East Bengal
Executive Council, recommending that Bangla be treated as a
provincial language.
1949
• February: Education minister Fazlur Rahman proposed the
introduction of Arabic alphabet for all the languages, including
Bangla, spoken in Pakistan “in the interest of national unity and
solidarity and the rapid advancement of general education in
Pakistan.”
• Dr Muhammad Shahidullah and other linguists of East Bengal
rejected it.
1950
• March: On 11 March, Dhaka University State Language Movement
Committee was formed under the leadership of left-leaning student
Abdul Matin.
• April: The proposal to the introduction of Arabic alphabet for all the
languages spoken in Pakistan is formally tabled in parliament.
Dhirendranath Datta and leaders of newly formed Awami-Muslim
League protested at it.
• December: On 7 December, the 16-member East Bengal Language
Committee, headed by Maulana Akram Khan, submitted final report
saying the proposal to use Arabic alphabet for writing Bangla
language as bizarre. The committee also put emphasis on using
Bangla in all the offices and educational institutions of East Bengal.
But the government did not publish the report until 1958.
1951
• March: On 11 March, The Dhaka University State Language
Movement Committee sent a memorandum to all newspapers and
legislative council members demanding announcement of Bangla as
state language with Urdu.
• In a conference of university and college teachers in Comilla on 16
and 17 March, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah asked people to raise
their voice against imposition of any language other than Bangla as
medium of education.
• On 27 March, the proposal to write Bangla in Arabic script was
tabled in the legislative council again.
1952
• January: On 26 January, Nazimuddin re-opened the debate on
language by announcing in a meeting of All Pakistan Muslim League that
“Only Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan.’ On 27 January he
reiterated the stance at Paltan Maidan.
• On 30 January, rejecting the speech of Nazimuddin, State
Language Action Committee observes general strike in
Dhaka University area. After that they held a rally and decide to hold a
protest meeting on 4th February and to hold a general strike on 21 February
in east Pakistan, when the East Bengal Assembly is due to meet for its
budget session.
• On 31 January, an All-party worker meeting, chaired by
Maulana bhasani was held in Dhaka Bar Library Hall. All
Party State Language Action Committee was formed here.
Kazi Golam Mahbub was made convener. The committee
convened a general strike on 21 February.
February

• 4 February: Students organised procession in Nababpur area

demanding Bangla as state language. All the educational institutions
observed general strike on the day.
• 18 February: The government enforced section 144 in
Dhaka University and adjoining areas centring general
strike on 21 February.
• 20 February: A meeting, convened by the All-party
State Language Action Committee and chaired by Abul
Hashim, was held. Most of the members opined
against breaking section 144 fearing violence.
• Abdul Matin and Gaziul Haq opined in favour of violating
section 144 but could not come up with specific directions. At
this stage, the students spontaneously decided to defy section
144 and police line.

• Police fired tear gas shells towards the gate to warn the students.
A section of students ran into the Dhaka Medical College while
others towards the university premises cordoned by the police.
The vice-chancellor asked police to stop firing and ordered
students to leave the area. However, the police arrested several
students for defying section 144 as they attempted to leave.
• Enraged by the arrests, the students met around the East Bengal
Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators' way, asking
them to present their insistence at the assembly. When a group of
students sought to storm into the building, police
opened
fire and killed a number of students,
including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed,
Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar around
4:00pm.
• As the news of the killings spread, disorder erupted across
the city. Shops, offices and public transport were shut down
and a general strike began. Leaflets were distributed in
mosques and clubs asking to gather on DU campus on the
next day.

• The government press note acknowledged 3 deaths and 2

injured although the actual number was much higher.

• Poet Mahbubul Alam Chowdury wrote a poem “Kandte

asini, fansir dabi niye esechi” in memory of the martyrs in
the evening.
• On 22 February, black flags were hoisted atop the Arts Faculty
building and all the student halls. The students black badges as a sign
of mourning for the killed ones. The EPR and the army took control of
Dhaka. A namaz-e-janaza was held in the Curzon Hall area. The
participants brought out a procession but police opened
firing on it killing Shafiur on the spot.
• Widespread agitation took place in the city throughout the day. The
EPR, police and army lobbed teargas shells, firing upon them, killing
and injuring many at different places of the city. Many bodies were
scurried away by the security forces never to be found again.
• According to a report published in Daily Azad on 23 February, four
people were killed on 22 February.
• Overnight the Dhaka Medical College students built a 10-foot
Shaheed Minar in the memory of the language martyrs, according to
the plan of the Medical College student Sayyid Haider and bearing the
inscription by Badrul Alam. The Daily Azad editor Abul Kalam
Shamsuddin inaugurated it on 23 February. Scores of people visited
the Shaheed Minar on 24, 25 and 26 February until the police
demolished it in the afternoon on 26 February.
• Seeing no alternative, Nurul Amin proposed in the legislative council
to give Bangla state language and passed unanimously.
• On 25 February, authorities closed the Dhaka University for an
indefinite period. The university however was opened on 16 April.
• On 26 February, poet Alauddin Al Azad wrote a poem
“Smritisthambha” protesting the destruction of first Shaheed Minar at
Iqbal Hall of Dhaka University.
• 1953
• 21 February: Hundreds of thousands of people pay respect to the
language martyrs on the first anniversary of martyrdom at a
temporary Shaheed Minar. The government banned all types of rally
and procession on the day though.
• First language movement-based song – Bhulbo na, bhulbo na,
ekushey February bhulbo na -- was written by language veteran ANM
Gaziul Haque. The song was first sung in a rally at Armanitola on 21
February 1953.
1956
• 21 February: East Bengal prime minister Abu Hossain Sarker laid the
foundation stone of Shaheed Minar.

• 26 February: National assembly passed the constitution recognising

Bangla and Urdu as state languages.

• 3 March: The Pakistan constitution was implemented.

• 1963
• 21 February, martyr Abul Barkat’s mother Hasina Begum inaugurated
the Shaheed Minar.
• 1999
• On 17 November, UNESCO declared 21 February as the International
Mother Language Day, thus bringing worldwide recognition of the
sacrifices.
• 21 February: Students started to gather near the gate of
Dhaka Medical College around 9:00am. Around 11:00am, the
students rally began in presence of Kazi Golam Mahbub, Oli
Ahad, Abdul Matin, Gaziul Haq and other leaders. The
student and political leaders could not reach in a consensus
about violating section 144. Awami Muslim League general
secretary Shamsul Haq asked the students not to violate
section 144. DU VC SM Hossain also asked the students to do
so.
• Abdul Matin and Gaziul Haq opined in favour of violating section 144
but could not come up with specific directions. At this stage, the
students spontaneously decided to defy section 144 and police line.

• Police fired tear gas shells towards the gate to warn the students. A
section of students ran into the Dhaka Medical College while others
towards the university premises cordoned by the police. The vice-
chancellor asked police to stop firing and ordered students to leave
the area. However, the police arrested several students for defying
section 144 as they attempted to leave.
• Enraged by the arrests, the students met around the East Bengal
Legislative Assembly and blocked the legislators' way, asking them to
present their insistence at the assembly. When a group of students
sought to storm into the building, police opened fire and killed a
number of students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul
Barkat and Abdul Jabbar around 4:00pm.
• As the news of the killings spread, disorder erupted across the city.
Shops, offices and public transport were shut down and a general
strike began. Leaflets were distributed in mosques and clubs asking to
gather on DU campus on the next day.
• The government press note acknowledged 3 deaths and 2 injured
although the actual number was much higher.
• Poet Mahbubul Alam Chowdury wrote a poem “Kandte asini, fansir
dabi niye esechi” in memory of the martyrs in the evening.
• On 22 February, black flags were hoisted atop the Arts Faculty
building and all the student halls. The students black badges as a sign
of mourning for the killed ones. The EPR and the army took control of
Dhaka. A namaz-e-janaza was held in the Curzon Hall area. The
participants brought out a procession but police opened firing on it
killing Shafiur on the spot.
• 
• Widespread agitation took place in the city throughout the day. The
EPR, police and army lobbed teargas shells, firing upon them, killing
and injuring many at different places of the city. Many bodies were
scurried away by the security forces never to be found again.
• According to a report published in Daily Azad on 23 February, four
people were killed on 22 February.
•
• Overnight the Dhaka Medical College students built a 10-foot
Shaheed Minar in the memory of the language martyrs, according to
the plan of the Medical College student Sayyid Haider and bearing the
inscription by Badrul Alam. The Daily Azad editor Abul Kalam
Shamsuddin inaugurated it on 23 February. Scores of people visited
the Shaheed Minar on 24, 25 and 26 February until the police
demolished it in the afternoon on 26 February.
• Seeing no alternative, Nurul Amin proposed in the legislative council
to give Bangla state language and passed unanimously.
23 February, Shaheed Minar
• Although curfew was in place, students started building the
Minar in the afternoon of 23 February. 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 Minar was inaugurated by the father of Sofiur Rahman,
Molvi. Mahabubur Rahman, who killed during the massacre.
It was demolished on 26 February by the police and Pakistani
Army.
First Shaheed
Minar
• February 24, 1952, the government gives full authority to the police
and military to bring the situation in Dhaka back to normal within 48
hours. During these 48 hours the police arrested almost all the
student and political leaders associated with the language
movement.
• On 25 February, authorities closed the Dhaka University for an
indefinite period. The university however was opened on 16 April.

• On 26 February, poet Alauddin Al Azad wrote a poem

“Smritisthambha” protesting the destruction of first Shaheed Minar at
Iqbal Hall of Dhaka University.
• 1953
• 21 February: Hundreds of thousands of people pay respect to the
language martyrs on the first anniversary of martyrdom at a
temporary Shaheed Minar. The government banned all types of rally
and procession on the day though.
• First language movement-based song – Bhulbo na, bhulbo na,
ekushey February bhulbo na -- was written by language veteran ANM
Gaziul Haque. The song was first sung in a rally at Armanitola on 21
February 1953.
• 1956
• 21 February: East Bengal prime minister Abu Hossain Sarker laid the
foundation stone of Shaheed Minar.
• 26 February: National assembly passed the constitution recognising
Bangla and Urdu as state languages.
• 3 March: The Pakistan constitution was implemented.
• 1963
• 21 February, martyr Abul Barkat’s mother Hasina Begum inaugurated
the Shaheed Minar.
• 1999
• On 17 November, UNESCO declared 21 February as the International
Mother Language Day, thus bringing worldwide recognition of the
sacrifices.
Reference:

• Reza, Shameem, Chronology of important events of Language Movement (2019, February 21) , The Prothom Alo, Retrieved from

https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/Chronology-of-important-events-of-Language

• The Origins of the Language Movement (2016, February 20), The Daily Star, https://

www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/the-origins-the-language-movement-574846

• Hussain, Dr. Akhter, University of Dhaka, Language Movement and Birth of a Nation ( 2018, March 4th), Daily Sun , Retrieved from https://

www.daily-sun.com/post/293072/2018/03/05/University-of-Dhaka-Language-Movement-and-Birth-of-a-Nation-

• Bengali language movement (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_language_movement

• Language Movement Day (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Movement_Day