Most educational institutions without Shaheed Minar
Sixty-five years after the Language Movement, a vast majority of the educational institutions in two upazilas of Rangpur and Dinajpur have remained without any Shaheed Minar, while the central Shaheed Minar in Lalmonirhat has become decrepit due to lack of maintenance.
In Hakimpur upazila, 84 educational institutions out of 86 do not have Shaheed Minar, a symbol of the 1952 Language Movement.
The upazila education officer in Hakimpur said there are six educational institutions in Sadar upazila and none of them has a Shaheed Minar.
Principal of Bangla Hili Pilot High School and College Rakib Uddin said every educational institution should have a Shaheed Minar.
“We observe Ekushey February every year by making a Shaheed Minar with banana plants,” said Shahriar Shuvo, a student of Class V in Dangapara Government Primary School.
A similar situation exists in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur.
Upazila education officer in Taraganj said the upazila has 146 educational institutions, of which 139 do not have Shaheed Minar.
Riad Hossain, a Class IV student of Paschim Rahimapur Masterpara Government Primary School, said they observe the day by building a temporary Shaheed Minar every year.
In Lalmonirhat, the central Shaheed Minar at Saptana in the town has become dilapidated due to lack of proper maintenance.
Locals said the municipality authorities paint it before February 21 every year, but they do not take any steps to repair it.
Language hero Comrade Shamsul Haque said, “Shaheed Minar is the symbol of the Language Movement, which was the first step towards our Liberation War. It is necessary for the government to maintain, reconstruct and modernise the Shaheed Minar.”
Meanwhile, there is no central Shaheed Minar in Urdu speaking Bihari dominated Saidpur upazila town in Nilphamari, manifesting their utter indifference towards the martyrs of February 21.
Bangla speaking people place floral wreaths at the old Shaheed Minar at Saidpur College, three km from the upazila parishad office.
Bakhtiar Kabir, a former mayor of Saidpur municipality, also a student leader of pre-independence period, said people constructed Shaheed Minars everywhere in the country except Saidpur after the historic Language Movement of 1952, adding that strong opposition of the then majority Urdu speaking people prevented construction of the memorial.
Principal of Saidpur College Abdul Hafiz said, “In absence of a central Shaheed Minar in the upazila, a large portion of the new generation is deprived of knowing the history of the Language Movement, although the whole world observes February 21 as International Mother Language Day.”
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