The ancestral house of Dhirendranath Datta, the unsung hero of the 1952 Language Movement, remained neglected for long due to negligence of the local administration.
Martyr Dhirendranath Datta, a language activist and politician, used to live in Dharmapasha in Comilla city, but now the house is on the verge of destruction.
In 2010, the then information and cultural affairs minister visited the house and assured of taking steps to protect the house and transform it into a “Language Movement Hero Dhirendranath Datta Memorial Museum”, but no steps have been taken yet.
Locals have demanded that the government take steps to renovate the house and launch the museum as pledged to help share the true history of the Language Movement among the next generation.
In the Pakistan Constituent Assembly session held on February 23, 1948, Datta demanded the use of Bangla along with English and Urdu for conducting its proceedings.
He also served time in jail several times for his role in the Language Movement.
Dhirendranath Datta and his son Dilipkumar Datta were arrested on the night of March 29, 1971 from the house in Dharmasagar in Comilla, and taken to Mainamati Cantonment and was tortured to death.
Since then, the infrastructure of the house has just deteriorated. After seeing the house now, there is no way to tell that a famous veteran politician of undivided Pakistan used to live here.
Ahsanul Kabir, a cultural personality, said: “The house of Dhirendranath Datta is not only for the people of Comilla but also the pride of all people across the country. But it is unfortunate that, the house is lying in a dilapidated condition.”
He also stressed the need for the government’s initiative to protect the house.
Advocate Nazmul Bari Chowdhury, member secretary of Martyr Dhirendranath Datta Memorial Council, said: “We have taken so many movements in different times demanding protection of the house. We also submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the deputy commissioner but to no avail.”
Comilla City Corporation Mayor Monirul Haque Sakku, said: “It is not possible to do everything from the city corporation. Earlier, we constructed the stadium gate in the name of Dhirendranath Datta at a cost of Tk22 lakh. If the families of Datta demanded to renovate the house then the Cultural Affairs Ministry will take steps.”
