Central Shaheed Minar

Where students and citizens first claimed the right to their mother tongue.

Standing on the grounds of Dhaka Medical College, the Central Shaheed Minar commemorates the students and activists killed on 21–22 February 1952 while demanding recognition of Bengali as a state language. The present structure, designed by Hamidur Rahman with sculptural contributions from Novera Ahmed, was inaugurated in 1963 after earlier temporary monuments were demolished. Its central motif is a half-circular arrangement of columns symbolising a mother protecting her fallen sons, with the red sun behind. Rising approximately 14 metres, the marble monument remains the focal point of annual Ekushey February observances and a powerful emblem of linguistic and cultural identity.