Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – The nation is paying rich tributes to the martyrs of the 1952 historic Language Movement with the clock striking 00.01am on Thursday, marking 'Amar Ekushey', the Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day.

The great Language Movement, a significant event in the nation’s history, was aimed at establishing the right of the mother tongue as well as protecting self-entity, and culture and heritage. 

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the nation in paying the homage by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past midnight. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived at the Shaheed Minar six minutes before the clock struck 12 midnight, while President Abdul Hamid reached the Central Shaheed Minar two minutes before the zero hour.

The President and the Prime Minister proceeded to the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar together in slow pace as the immortal song on Amar Ekushey—'Amar bhaiyer rakte rangano Ekushey February’-- was playing. 

The President was the first to lay a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar. Just after the President, the Prime Minister placed another wreath at the Shaheed Minar. 

They stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the language heroes. 

Ministers, advisers to the Prime Minister, MPs, the chiefs of three services, diplomats, senior Awami League leaders, and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion. 

On his arrival at the Shaheed Minar, the President was received by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury paid tributes to the martyrs by placing a wreath at the Shaheed Minar.

Flanked by Cabinet members and senior leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, later placed another wreath at the Shaheed Minar on behalf of the party.

Walking barefoot to the Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and flowers singing 'Amar bhaiyer rakte rangano Ekushey February', people will pay their tributes throughout the day to the heroes of the Language Movement who laid down their lives for achieving the recognition of Bangla as the state language of erstwhile Pakistan.

Different political parties, their front organisations as well as sociocultural organisations have taken various programmes to pay their homage to the language martyrs all day long.

BNP leaders and activists will gather in front of Balaka Cinema Hall at Nilkhet at 6am wearing black badges. Later, they will first offer fateha at the graves of Language Movement martyrs at Azimpur Graveyard and then go to the Central Shaheed Minar to pay tributes to the martyrs.

Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies took all-out security measures in and round the Central Shaheed Minar to ensure smooth observance of Amar Ekushey.

On February 21, 1952, students and the common people in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then Pakistani government's denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firings on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus breaching section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of then Pakistan.

Being a source of ceaseless inspiration, Amar Ekushey inspired and encouraged the nation to a great extent to achieve the right to self-determination and struggle for freedom and the Liberation War.

With the bloodshed passage of Language Movement, the nation got the recognition of Bangla its mother tongue and attained its long-cherished independence under the charismatic leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971. 

Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.

In his message, the President said, “I extend my warm congratulations and sincere felicitations to all multilingual people of the world along with Bangla-speaking people.”

He recalled with deep reverence the language martyrs namely Shaheed Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and so many unknown and unsung language heroes who laid down their lives for the cause of mother tongue.

The President expressed the expectation that the spirit of Amar Ekushey would be the source of incessant inspiration for the protection of own languages and culture of people. “On the occasion, let the bond of friendship among multilingual people be strengthened, world’s almost defunct languages be revived and the globe be diversified in respective societies.” 

The Prime Minister, in her message, said the greatest Ekushey is the symbol of grief, strength and glory in the life of every Bangali. 

“I pay my deep homage to the memories of the martyrs. I also pay my deep respect to the greatest Bangali of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who had led the language movement and all other language veterans,” she said.

“Let’s build a hunger-poverty-free and happy-prosperous Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation being imbued with the spirit of the great Ekushey,” the Prime Minister added.
 

Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday paid homage to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar at one minute past midnight on the occasion of Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived at the Shaheed Minar six minutes before the clock struck 12 midnight, while President Abdul Hamid reached the Central Shaheed Minar two minutes before the zero hour.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proceeded to the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar together in slow pace as the immortal song on Amar Ekushey—'Amar Bhaiyer Rakte Rangano Ekushey February’-- was playing. 

The President was the first to lay the wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar.

Just after the President, the Prime Minister placed the wreath at the Shaheed Minar. 

They stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the language heroes. 

Ministers, advisers to the Prime Minister, parliament members, the chiefs of the three services, diplomats, senior Awami League leaders, high civil and military officials were present on the occasion. 

On his arrival at the Shaheed Minar, the President was received by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman.

Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury paid tributes to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement by placing  a wreath at the Shaheed Minar.

Flanked by cabinet members and senior leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League, later placed another wreath at the Shaheed Minar on behalf of the party.
 

Dhaka, Feb 20 (UNB) – The fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse in the city’s Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night could not be brought under control in three hours, leaving around 30 people injured, including 12 with burns.

Duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room Ziaur Rahman said the fire originated at the chemical godown on the ground floor of a five-storey building at Churihaat around 10:38pm.

On information, 32 fire-fighting units rushed in to douse the flame, he said.

The reason behind the fire could not be known yet.

He said firefighters were trying to bring the blaze under control.

The task has become difficult due to the narrow road in front of the building, Ziaur said.

Talking to UNB around 1:38 am on Thursday, Mahfuz Riben, duty officer of the control room said the fire was still razing.

The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Mitford Hospital, said Bacchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police camp.

Of the injured, 12 suffered burn injuries and others were injured while jostling for getting out of the building, he added.

Dhaka, Feb 20 (UNB) – A man was stabbed to death by a youth at Kamrangirchar in the city on Wednesday morning over the alleged illicit relationship with his mother.

The deceased was identified as Md Helal, 40, hailing from Pabna Sadar upazila.

Inspector Md Bachchu Miah, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police camp, said Helal had developed an extramarital affair with Sabina, 35, also hailing from Pabna.

Sabina eloped with Helal and they came to Dhaka from Pabna on Tuesday, he said.

On information, Sabina’s son Sunny, 20, came to Kamrangirchar today and found Helal near Mahtab Gas Pump of the area around 9am.

Later, the youth stabbed him indiscriminately with a knife, leaving him critically injured.

The injured was taken to the DMCH where he succumbed to his injuries around 1pm.
 

Keraniganj, Feb 20 (UNB) – Police arrested Abu Zafar, the Keraniganj correspondent of Bangla daily Jugantor’, on Tuesday night in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.

He is one of the five journalists accused in the case filed by Swechchhasebak League’s Nababganj unit organising secretary Md Polash with Dohar Police Station. 
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Zafar was sent to jail after he was produced before the local court on Wednesday, said officer-in-charge Dohar Police Station Md Sazzad Hossain. He, however, declined to disclose identities of the other journalists.
 
Journalists from Keraniganj, Dohar and Nawabganj condemned the arrest and demanded his immediate release.