Days of Language Movement in Nilphamari
The veterans at the forefront
Shafiar Rahman, Khairat Hossain and Abu Nazam Mohammad Ali
People of the then sub-divisional town Nilphamari spontaneously took part in the Language Movement of 1952. Demanding Bangla as a state language of Pakistan, Muslim Chhatra League called strike in all the educational institutions of the then East Pakistan on February 4 that year. The then Urdu-speaking sub-divisional officer (SDO) Monwar Hossain verbally abused Nilphamari Model High School headmaster Asiruddin Ahmed and Girls' High School headmaster Abu Nazem Mohammad Ali for their failure to keep the students away from taking part in the strike. Demaning removal of the SDO, students and teachers of educational institutions in Nilphamari town observed strike for three consecutive days on February 8, 9 and 10. On February 21, in line with the central programme, all-out strike was observed in all the educational institutions in the town and a big rally was held on the premises of Muslim Hostel of Nilphamari High School. Situation turned volatile as the news of killing students in police firing in Dhaka reached Nilphamari on the night of February 21. Defying threat by the non-Bengali SDO, thousands of people burst into protest on February 22 and took part in processions and meetings all day long. On that day, Pakistani authorities arrested the then East Pakistan provincial assembly member Khairat Hossain, who along with veteran leader Moulana Abdur Rashid Tarkobagish had walked out from the provincial assembly in Dhaka in protest against the February 21 killings. Thousands of people from all walks of life on February 24, 25 and 26 took to the streets. The agitators chanted slogans demanding release of Khairat Hossain and other political prisoners and trial of February 21 killings as they remained vocal about the demand for recognising Bangla as a state language. As police arrested Local Awami Muslim League convener advocate Dabiruddin Ahamed and educationist Abu Nazam Mohammad Ali on February 26 agitated people besieged the local police station. A joint meeting of Awami Muslim League and Muslim Chhatra League decided to observe all-out strike in the town on February 28. Police arrested Muslim Chhatra League general secretary of local unit Shafiar Rahman, then a matriculation candidate, and Jubo League convenor Shamsul Haque on February 27, resulting in continuation of protest and agitation by local people. Khairat Hossain was released from jail after confinement for about two years. Dabiruddin Ahamed and Abu Nazem Mohammad Ali were released after six months. Shafiar Rahman and Shamsul Haque got release after one month. Four of them passed away while Shafiar Rahman is still surviving to narrate the role of the district in the Language Movement to the new generation.
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