Central Shaheed Minar
The Jatiyo Shaheed Minar, meaning the National Martyrs’ Monument, was established to commemorate the martyrs killed during the Language Movement in 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 sacrificed souls, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a famous Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely by the Pakistani Army during Operation Searchlight. After Bangladesh became independent, it was rebuilt. Today the Shaheed Minar is the center of various cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement and the ones who sacrificed their lives for it are remembered with great passion at the monument.
