Today, February 21, is International Mother Language Day, first proclaimed in 1952 as "Language Movement Day" by Dhaka University students in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) who were protesting suppression of their Bengali language. Police and military forces opened fire, killing many young people in attendance.
Dhaka University students today mark the 60th anniversary of their fellow students' sacrifice of their lives for their mother tongue, and millions of citizens will leave flowers at the Language Martyr's Monument (Shahid Minar).