Bangla is the only language in the world for that people sacrificed their lives. Bangalis fought for their language and achieved it which is known as the Language Movement. The movement was actually the beginning of all movements for Bangalis.
Language Movement began in 1948 and reached its climax in the killing of 21 February 1952, and ended in the adoption of Bangla as the state language of East Pakistan.
When Pakistan declared Urdu as the state language the students and intellectuals of East Pakistan started protest and demanded Bangla as the state language for East Pakistan. So, the Language Movement got a new momentum in 1952.
On 27 January 1952, Khwaja Nazimuddin came to Dhaka from Karachi. Addressing a meeting at Paltan Maidan, he said that the people of the province could decide what would be the provincial language, but only Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. There was an instantaneous, negative reaction to this speech among the students who responded with the slogan, 'Rashtrabhasha Bangla Chai' (We want Bangla as the state language).
A strike was observed at Dhaka University on 30 January in 1952. The Language Action Committee decided to call a hartal and organise demonstrations and processions on February 21 throughout East Pakistan. As preparations for demonstrations were underway, the then government imposed Section 144 in the city of Dhaka, banning all assemblies and demonstrations.
The students violated Section144 and held a student meeting at 11.00am on February 21 in 1952 on the Dhaka University campus.
Thousands of students assembled on the university campus while armed police waited outside the gate. When the students emerged in groups, shouting slogans, the police resorted to baton charge; even the female students were not spared. At one stage the law enforcers opened fire targeting the language movement protesters. Several Bangalis were brutally killed in the incident.
Bengali did become an official language on 29 February 1956.
Since 1952, February 21 has been observed every year to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement. The UNESCO adopted a resolution on November 17 in 1999 proclaiming February 21 as International Mother Language Day.
