Walking out of Assembly

A meeting of the [Muslim League] parliamentary party was going on in the assembly hall on February 21, 1952, and I heard the gunshot during that meeting.  After that the students started shouting in front of the assembly and addressed us saying 'come out, look' and so on. At that time the bell rang for the commencement of the assembly session. I also went inside. After the Speaker took his seat, I got up to speak before any other discussion. I said that the session could not continue today. Nurul Amin said that shots were fired but we should not be driven by emotion. After some heated debate, I walked out of the assembly.

After I came out of the assembly, the students took me into a room. There I gave a speech using a microphone. After that I went to the Medical College Hospital.

On the evening of February 24, Nurul Amin's political secretary Iskander Ali came to the party house and warned me that I could be arrested. He advised me to withdraw the no-confidence motion I brought against Nurul Amin in the assembly. He offered me house and money.  I told him, 'look, I am not afraid of prison. And I'm also not afraid of death.'

At about three o'clock in the morning, there was a knock at the door. As soon as I opened the door, a number of policemen rushed into the room. Police arrested me and Khairat Hossain and took us to the central jail. Arriving there, I offered Fazr prayer.

Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish walked out from the assembly session protesting against the police firing on February 21, 1952, and subsequently resigned from the Muslim League Parliamentary party.

Source:  Bhasha Andolon Prasanga: Katipay Dalil (Ed. Badruddin Umar, Bangla Academy, 1995.)

Translated by Shamsuddoza Sajen