Bhasha Shahid Divas in Silchar on May 19

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, May 8: ‘Unnishe May’ or May 19 has been frozen in the calendar for the residents of Barak Valley. The Bengali Language Movement also called ‘Bhasha Shahid Divas’ was a protest movement against Assam government’s decision to hail Assamese as the only official language of the state. On that day, in the year 1961, 11 persons were shot dead by the State police, as they protested against it. The gory incident took place at Silchar railway station, Tarapur. These 11 martyrs also include a woman who was shot with a bullet that pierced her eye and entered into the head. On turning the pages of Barak Valley’s history, it can be found that many people have sacrificed their lives for the sake of protecting Bengali language.

Every year to commemorate those 11 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the sake of protecting Bengali language, various cultural programmes are conducted, rallies are taken out and bust of those martyrs are decorated with flower garlands.

Bijit Kumar Singha, AIDYO, Gour Chandra Das, AIDSO, Dulali Ganguly, AIMSS and Rita Bagti, Komshomal have requested the residents of the Valley to participate in the various programmes that is scheduled to take place on May 18 and May 19. Giving a clarion call, they mentioned that it is necessary to protect the language from being erased from the pages of history. The blood stained spots of that fateful day of May 19 is still shinning bright. They also focused on the issue of NRC and expressed dismay at the fact that in spite of our ancestors who have fought for the land against the British, we are bound to prove our citizenship by submitting some non-existent documents.

On May 18, dramas will be staged along with other cultural programmes at various schools of the Valley. Next day, from 6 am onwards a rally will start from Tarapur railway station where that incident took place. Bust of Kamala Bhattacharjee, the only woman among those 11 martyrs will be decorated with flower garlands. She was just 16 years of age when she died. Programme list included a rally which will start from the pedestal of Khudi Ram Murti and then a visit to the cremation ground at eight in the morning to commemorate the martyrs. In addition to it, a drama will be performed at the cremation ground.

Late in the afternoon, at 2 pm, a rally will start from the pedestal of the bust of Kamala Bhattacharjee and head towards Gandhi Bagh.

All the residents of the Valley have been requested to take an active party in these programmes for making it a grand success.