Student memorials in Dhaka fan protests

Dhaka, Aug 28: The recent anti-government protests in Bangladesh have revived people’s interest in some of the most celebrated memorials in Dhaka such as the ‘Shaheed Minar’ and the Raju sculpture erected in memory of a martyred students’ union leader, which also served as major hotbeds of the student-led resistance.

Located in the Dhaka University area, these sites witnessed resistance that began in July and eventually engulfed the entire country leading to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government and her fleeing to India on August 5.

But, the city of Dhaka is no stranger to public movements, as the history of Bangladesh is studded with many landmark moments that have shaped its destiny in the past 70 years.

‘Shaheed Minar’ in the Dhaka University area where people gather these days in a relatively relaxed environment is akin to a pilgrimage site for the people of Bangladesh. While the main memorial - represented by a total of five vertical panels including a huge central panel with its bent top portion and flanked by two vertical panels each on both sides and a bright red circle in the backdrop -- is in Dhaka, several replicas of it exist in many other cities of Bangladesh.

In its current form, it has existed for over 50 years as it was rebuilt after the Liberation War of 1971 which led to the birth of a new nation of Bangladesh.

The ‘Shaheed Minar’ was originally established to honour the lives lost during the Bengali language movement in 1952 when the region was known as East Pakistan with its capital at Dhaka.

Generations after generations have grown up in Dhaka hearing the story of the brave university students who died in police action on February 21, 1952, while struggling to get the status of state language for Bengali.