Today (Monday) is the historic mass uprising day of 1971, one of the major milestones of the Bengali nation’s freedom movement. The mass uprising took place in the context of the six-point program known as the National Liberation Certificate for the freedom-loving oppressed people and later the 11-point program given by the student society.
On the occasion of the day, President MD. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on Sunday.
In his message, the President, inspired by the spirit of the mass uprising of 1971, called upon all to fulfill their responsibility to build a prosperous Bangladesh. Mentioning that the day has been commemorated in the history of our liberation struggle and freedom movement as the day of mass uprising, he paid deep homage to the memory of those who were martyred in the freedom movement of the country.
In her message, the Prime Minister called upon the people to build a developed, prosperous and peaceful modern Bangladesh by building the golden Bangladesh of the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He said, “The mass uprising of 1969 was a significant chapter in the history of Bangladesh. We have achieved great freedom through the armed liberation war in the continuation of Bayanna’s language movement, the Bengali liberation charter six points, later 11 points and the mass uprising of 1971. Got an independent-sovereign state Bangladesh.”
This unprecedented mass uprising took place on 24th January with the spontaneous participation of people from all walks of life in Dhaka through mourning on 21st, 22nd and 23rd January after the martyrdom of Shaheed Asad, the hero of the historic 20th January 1969 uprising. Following the path of this mass uprising, the Bengali nation achieved great independence through bloody armed liberation war.
On this day in 1971, Kishore Matiur and Rustam, a ninth class student of Nabakumar Institute, and a few others were martyred on the highway in front of the Secretariat in Dhaka. Protesters broke the walls of the secretariat and set it on fire. Protesters set fire to the houses of Ayub Monaim clique brokers, ministers, MPs and their mouthpieces in the then-daily Pakistan and Pakistan Observer. The people changed the name of Ayub Gate to Asad Gate.
Various socio-cultural and political organizations have taken detailed programs on the occasion of the day.