RU's first Shaheed Minar to be reconstructed after 55 years

On February 20, 1964, students of Rajshahi University (RU) took the initiative to build a Shaheed Minar, a memorial commemorating the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952, in front of Shahidullah Arts Building on the campus.

Later in 1967, with the help of Rucsu leaders of the time, its construction was completed.

But in 1971 during the Liberation War, the Pakistan army destroyed the memorial inside the campus, along with most other Shaheed Minars in Rajshahi.

The RU authorities planned to build another Shaheed Minar on the east side of the administration building in 1972. Then Prime Minister Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman laid the foundation stone of the memorial. It was inaugurated in 1975 by then Prime Minister Muhammad Mansur Ali.

Since then, the first Shaheed Minar of the university gradually faded from memory, whereas it deserved special remembrance as a key historical monument, said many university organisations. Due to a lack of maintenance in this long period of time, there was nothing left where the Shaheed Minar once stood, save for a few broken bricks.

Campus-based literary organisations including "Swonon" and "Chinho" urged the authorities to preserve the memory on multiple occasions.

At last after 55 years, RU authorities has taken an initiative to preserve the memorial. Its construction is now underway at the same place.

Meanwhile, students and teachers from different departments praised the decision taken by the authorities.

Polash Pal, a master's student of Statistics department, said, “Many of us did not even know about the existence of that Shaheed Minar. So preserving the old memorial and making us aware of that is a good decision.”

Arbak Aditto, a student of Bangla department, said the authorities could reconstruct the monument following the design of Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka.

Prof Hashibul Alam Prodhan, director of Teacher Student Cultural Center (TSCC), said, “It should have been done earlier. It was a historical memorial for the university. Through the new construction students can learn about it now.”

Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Anand Kumar Saha, who is supervising the reconstruction work, said, “This monument was a memorial of the Language Movement. But Pakistan army destroyed it during the Liberation War. Everyone should know this history. So we took the initiative to preserve the university's first Shaheed Minar.”