On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 10:30 am, a human chain was held in front of the National Press Club under the initiative of the Human Rights Alliance, 'demanding the highest respect for all language soldiers'.
The human chain, chaired by the Secretary General of the Human Rights Alliance, Milan Mallick, and moderated by the organization's Joint Secretary General, Md. Mostafa, was attended by Bangladesh National Human Rights Association President Md. Manjur Hossain Isa, Janata Front President Abu Ahad Al Mamun Dipu Mir, prominent presenter Timuni Khan Rino, Executive Director of Agragami Media Vision Golam Faruk Majnu, Additional Executive Director of the Law and Human Rights Protection Foundation Md. Raju Ahmed Sujan, journalist and human rights activist Md. Shahidul Islam, among others.
The speakers in the human chain said that according to the decision taken by the United Nations on November 17, 1999, February 21st is celebrated worldwide every year. However, those who participated in this language struggle gave their lives. Even after 73 years of the language movement, these language soldiers have not been given full status by the state. Which was given to the freedom fighters of our great independence war. In the month of language in 2025, we think that the families of these language soldiers, who are alive and those who have died, are strongly demanding that the state give full status along with financial honors.
Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah said that in a country where virtue is not appreciated, virtue does not grow. Therefore, it is our duty to give the highest respect to all those language soldiers whose lives and blood we got the Bengali language in exchange. In 1952, the sun children of Bengal (Rafiq, Salam, Barkat, Jabbar) showed that the youth of Bengal know how to give fresh blood from their chests but did not compromise with injustice.
The speakers also said in the human chain that the state has not provided any financial support to the language soldiers who led the 1952 language movement. Therefore, we demand that language soldiers be given financial honorarium like the freedom fighters. At the same time, we demand the necessary financial support from the state to all the families of those who were killed in the July uprising. We demand 50 lakh taka for the treatment of the injured and 1 crore taka for the families of the martyrs.
