Women Language Movement heroes of Nilphamari
The Language Movement in Nilphamari is glorified by participation of a good number of female activists who braved the conservative attitude of the society that time to uphold the honour of mother language Bangla.
They organised processions and meetings at different places of the town and arranged cultural programmes where they sang patriotic songs and recited poems, urging people to protest conspiracy against our mother tongue.
"A good number of girl students took active part in the Language Movement here. It added a new dimension during the then socio political environment," said Language Movement veteran advocate Mahbubar Rahman Dulu, 80.
“Most prominent female activists of Language Movement in Nilphamari were Fouzia Begum, Zakia Sultana, Chhomela Begum, Feroza, Halima, Rabeya, Saleha, Sufia, Bulu and many others whose names I cannot recall,” he said.
"Most of them were students of Nilphamari Government Girls' High School. There was no college here at that time," he added.
On 21 February, 1952 an all-out strike was observed in the educational institutions of Nilphamari. A big rally was held on the premises of Muslim Hostel of Nilphamari High School. Female activists Fouzia Begum and Feroza Begum addressed the rally along with male participants.
As the news of killing of Rifiq, Salam, Barkat, Jabbar, Shafiq and others by Pakistani police in Dhaka on February 21 reached the then sub divisional town, people got agitated.
The next day, the area saw huge processions and meetings all day long as thousands of people burst into protest, defying threat by the Pakistani administration.
Agitation intensified further when police in Dhaka arrested Khairat Hossain, a member of the then East Pakistan provincial assembly, elected from Nilphamari.
Khairat Hossain, a leader of the then opposition Awami Muslim League, faced the wrath of Pakistan authorities as he walked out from the assembly along with Moulana Abdur Rashid Tarkobagish in protest against the February 21 killing.
Thousands of people including a good number of girls and women staged agitation in Nilphamari on February 24, 25 and 26 demanding release of Khairat Hossain and others.
To suppress the movement, police arrested local Awami Muslim League convenor advocate Dabiruddin Ahmed and educationist Abu Nazam Mohammad Ali on the night of February 26.
As many others went into hiding, there was a vacuum in leadership, but female activists including Fouzia, Chhomela and Halima continued arranging cultural functions on streets where calls for continuation of movement were made indirectly.
Encouraged by those programmes, people besieged the local police station on February 28.
To tackle the situation, the then Urdu speaking sub divisional officer (SDO) Monwar Hossain warned the guardians of female activists to check their daughters but to no effect.
Police issued arrest warrant against leading female activists Fouzia and Halima and they went into hiding.
Fouzia, daughter of a local landlord, continued financing for the agitation programmes secretly.
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