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Many language heroes, including Sheikh Mujib, were arrested in front of the Secretariat for leading the strike on 11 March and were released on 15 March, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that the day after their release, on 16 March, the students again besieged the provincial council building under the leadership of Sheikh Mujib, and many were injured by police baton charges.
“On 21 March, Jinnah spoke out boastfully against the Bangla language and in favor of Urdu at the Dhaka Racecourse Ground. When Urdu was declared the state language of Pakistan at the students’ convocation on 24 March at Curzon Hall, the students immediately protested,” she said.
To transform the language movement into a national campaign, the premier said, Sheikh Mujib organized a nationwide tour plan and participated in a massive campaign, and addressed rallies.
He (Bangabandhu) was arrested from Faridpur on 11 September and released on 21 January 1949, the head of the government said, adding he was arrested again on 19 April and released in July and was arrested again on 14 October 1949 and released on 27 February 1952.
Undoubtedly, Sheikh Mujib had been in touch with language heroes and Chhatra League leaders from January 1 in 1950, in Dhaka Central Jail and had given various suggestions to add momentum to the movement, the Prime Minister said.
He (Bangabandhu) sent news through three messengers on February 3, calling for a nationwide strike on February 21 and marching around the meeting venue of the executive council, Sheikh Hasina said, adding, that announcement was made after the students’ procession on February 4.
When Sheikh Mujib declared a hunger strike at this stage on February 16, the jail authorities transferred him from Dhaka to Faridpur Jail, she said.
The budget session of the East Bengal Executive Council was scheduled for February 21, 1952, the premier recalled, saying that at the advice and instructions of Sheikh Mujib, a general strike was called all over the country on that day.
To deal with the situation, the Muslim League government had issued Section 144 for one month in Dhaka city from February 20 and banned all kinds of meetings, rallies and processions, the head of the government said.
Students gathered at Dhaka University violated Section 144, but when the police fired indiscriminately, some lives were lost in the blink of an eye, many were injured and many were arrested, the premier added.
Recalling that several members of the provincial council walked out of the session room, Sheikh Hasina said, the next day, on February 22, a spontaneous strike was observed in Dhaka while the government called for the army, imposed curfew, and the Bangla language resolution was passed in the provincial assembly.
On March 8 in 1954, the Awami League led United Front won the election with the boat symbol, she said, adding subsequently Awami League members started pressuring to make Bangla a state language.
Meanwhile, on May 30, the Governor of Pakistan dissolved the United Front cabinet by issuing Section 92 (a) and all the leaders including Sheikh Mujib were arrested, the premier recalled and said in 1956, the Awami League reconstituted the cabinet, gave Bangla the status of a state language, declared February 21 as Martyr’s Day, and declared it a public holiday.
It was that the same government took up the first projects to build the Shaheed Minar, publish literary and science books from the Bangla Academy and invent Bangla typewriters, the Prime Minister said, adding, unfortunately, with the imposition of military rule on October 7 in 1958, those aspirations were no longer fulfilled.
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