Historic Tebhaga Movement recalled amidst music

Indigenous people of Dinajpur brought out a procession on the anniversary of the historic 'Tebhaga Movement'.

The indigenous people of Dinajpur observed the anniversary of the historic Tebhaga Movement last Sunday at Bazitpur village under Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur, honouring the martyrs who died during the violent protests in 1947.
On the occasion, the indigenous community along with others locals and officials of NGOs in Dinajpur brought out a procession which paraded through the village.
The daylong event included a discussion and a cultural programme organised by 'Tebhaga Chetona Parishad' in association with IVS Bangladesh, a local NGO.
Speakers at the discussion went over the Tebhaga Movement and urged all to incorporate the values of the resistance in contemporary times. Speakers expressed that the Tebhaga Movement was a mass upsurge against the tyranny of the British rule in the subcontinent; its lessons however, are priceless. The history of the movement teaches us the invaluable lesson of speaking out against any kind of repression, they said.
The discussion was presided over by veteran politician and Joint Secretary of Tebhaga Chetona Parishad, Md. Abdul Kalam Azad. Other speakers at the discussion were Abdul Matin, executive director of IVS Bangladesh and Chairperson of ADAB; Chitta Ghosh, president of Dinajpur Press Club; Rezaur Rahman, general secretary of Udichi; Kaniz Rahman, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad; S.I. Shafique, executive director of 'Sustain' (a Dinajpur based NGO) and Shara Marandi of Gram Bikash Kendra.
Prior to the discussion, the participants placed wreaths at the memorial for the 'Tebhaga' martyrs. It is believed that two Tebhaga Movement activists were gunned down by the then British police in this area.
Indigenous artistes later took part in a cultural programme. The programme started with renditions of patriotic songs.
According to the local historians, scores of people -- most of who were farmers -- were killed in the movement in 1947 just for demanding what they rightfully deserved. Shibram Majhi and Shamir Uddin were the first who embraced death during the protest on January 4, 1947.
Later the British police arrested at least 22 individuals on February 20, 1947 and killed many, sparking violence across the northern region.
As a tribute to the sacrifice, Tebhaga Chetona Parishad of Dinajpur has been organising this memorial programme in the area since 2004.