The movement for establishing Bangla as an official language in East Pakistan reached a momentum in 1952, four years after the historic general strike of March 11, 1948, that shook the nation due to police torture and arrest of the organizers.
In 1952, it began with the then prime minister, Khawaja Nazimuddin, reiterating the government's resolve to establish Urdu as the state language and hailing the initiative to write Bengali in Urdu script from a rally at Paltan Maidan on January 27.
It provoked a response from students and leaders of different parties, prompting the announcement of a general strike (hartal) and demonstrations for February 21. On February 3, Nazimuddin told a press conference that his statement reflected nothing but Muhammad Ali Jinnah's stance and that the Constituent Assembly would decide the matter.
In those turbulent days, the pro-government newspaper the Morning News published false news and editorials condemning the movement.
Students were enraged by the newspaper's stance, and chased its vehicles whenever they were seen on the streets.
After the killings in Dhaka, the government claimed that the movement aimed at the secession of Pakistan by the communists, terming them subversive and highly ambitious, and some disgruntled local politicians and Indian agents. The Morning News also spread the canard that Indian Hindus had gathered in the medical hostel on February 21.
The daily Sangbad was also uncritical of the Muslim League government at that time.
According to Language Movement veteran Ahmed Rafiq, it resorted to falsehood and acts which violated journalistic rules and norms though some progressive journalists used to work there.
Because of the newspaper's controversial position, infuriated protesters chased and attempted attacks from processions on its vehicles and reporters from February 22.
Pro-movement media
Meanwhile, the newspapers and weekly magazines that pressured the government through news and editorials were the Daily Azad and the Daily Insaf, and three weeklies -- Sainik, Ittefaq and Sylhet's Naubelal.
The Daily Azad tried to utilize the public vibe; it launched an evening telegram edition centering on the movement, which surprised many of the protesters, Ahmed Rafiq said. From February 21, the newspaper published many reports on the movement and published the names of the deceased and injured persons.
An editorial on February 22 demanded an investigation into the police firing while questioning whether it was necessary to impose Section 144 and open fire on the protesters. It also asked the authorities whether shooting on the upper part of the body was a wise decision.
On the third day, its editorial demanded the resignation of the Nurul Amin-led cabinet of East Pakistan, apparently because of the rivalry within the ruling party. Hence, the newspaper also published the statements of opposition leaders Abul Hashim and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, who condemned the police action.
Muslim League leader Abul Kalam Shamsuddin was its editor. He resigned from the East Bengal Legislative Assembly on February 26, protesting the February 21-22 police action. On the same day, he inaugurated the first Shaheed Minar built on the medical college hostel premises.
Writer Ahmed Rafiq thinks Shamsuddin's resignation was part of a political tactic. The newspaper started supporting the movement because of its shady past. This is why it changed its stance soon after the movement lost momentum, and the government chose to take stricter action to tame the protesters.
Soon, news reports and editorials in the Daily Azad became very similar to the government press notes. Thus, the newspaper lost credibility.
Reactions in West Pakistan
Political journalist ZA Suleri, editor of the Karachi-based Evening Times, visited Dhaka to learn firsthand the events of February 21-22 because of the rumours spread by the government and Morning News newspaper.
“The demand for establishing Bangla as a state language has full public support. Patriotism is the main source of this demand,” Suleri said in a statement.
The Evening Times and Evening Star, another Karachi-based newspaper, demanded an investigation into the deaths of protesters and expressed condolences to the families of the martyrs.
The February 23 editorial of Dawn supported the cause behind the movement, saying that the deaths could have been averted had the police refrained from opening fire.
“A vast section of the student community has demonstrated being inspired by their heartiest belief… Through these events, we have noticed how deeply our relatives in East Pakistan feel about the language-related problem,” it read.