Abul Barkat (; 16 June 1927 – 21 February 1952) was a protester killed during the

Bengali Language Movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

protests which took place in the erstwhile

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

(currently

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

), in 1952. He is considered a martyr in Bangladesh.

Early life

Abul Barkat was born on June 13 or 16, 1927 in Babla village, Salar that time Bharatpur Block,

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. He studied in Babla primary school and completed his matriculation from Talibpur High School in 1945 and completed his intermediate from

Krishnath College Murshidabad University is a public state university in Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal. The university was established in 2021 by the West Bengal government under ''The Murshidabad University Act, 2018''.It is named after a great thinker, a ...

in 1947. He moved to Dhaka in 1948 after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

. He completed his BA in political science from

University of Dacca The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

in 1951. He started his MA in political science in Dhaka University.

Bengali Language Movement

On February 21, 1952, students bought out a protest demanding Bengali language be given the status of national language despite

Section 144 Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group is about to start an act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then t ...

(curfew) being imposed. The police fired at the protestors on the road in front of

Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...

. Abul Barkat was seriously injured and later died at the Dhaka Medical College around 8:00pm on February 21, 1952. He was buried in the Azimpur Graveyard.His mother, Hasina Begum, inaugurated the Shaheed Minar in 1963.

Legacy

Abul Barkat was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2000. A museum has been built for him in Dhaka University campus. A documentary titled ''Bayanno'r Michhil'' was made about his life. Movement Hero Abul Barkat memorial museum and archive was opened in 2012 in Dhaka University; it was financed by Dhaka District Council.

Gallery

References

External links

*
Short biography
in Prime Minister's official web site, Govt of Bangladesh {{DEFAULTSORT:Abul Barkat Bengali language movement activists University of Dhaka alumni University of Calcutta alumni Recipients of the Ekushey Padak 1927 births 1952 deaths Burials at Azimpur Graveyard Krishnath College alumni People from Murshidabad district