Today, January 24 is Mass Upsurge Day. On this day in 1969, student-led protesters laid siege to the Central Secretariat and at one point broke into it and burnt it, partially. Matiur, a Class 9 student of Nobo Kumar Institution and another person died in police firing during the incident.
Earlier, the protestors had burnt down the National Press Trust (NPT) office that housed the government mouthpieces the English daily, Morning News and the Bengali daily, Dainik Pakistan.
The day signified the de facto fall of the 10-year military rule of General Ayub Khan and prepared the way for the restoration of democracy and liberation of the nation.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages recalled the great sacrifice of those who laid down their lives on this day and highlighted the great significance of the event.
In his message, President Abdul Hamid called upon the nation to build a prosperous Bangladesh inspired by the ideals of the 1969 mass upsurge. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said that the ’69 movement paved the way for the Liberation War in 1971.
Both the president and prime minister prayed for the salvation of those who were martyred on this day. – GW News Desk
