Chief justice pays tribute at Shaheed Minar

He is accompanied by judges from both the Appellate Division and High Court Division

Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury has paid his respects to the 1952 Language Movement martyrs on International Mother Language Day.

He laid a wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar at 6am on Saturday, according to a media statement.

The Supreme Court confirmed that the chief justice was accompanied by judges from the Appellate Division and High Court Division.

They stood in solemn silence for a few moments as a mark of respect to the memory of the language martyrs.

On Feb 21, 1952, police opened fire on students and activists demanding that Bangla be recognised as a state language of then Pakistan.

Abdus Salam, Abdul Jabbar, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Barkat, Shafiur Rahman and others were killed in the crackdown.

In 1999, UNESCO declared Feb 21 as International Mother Language Day in recognition of their sacrifice.

The day is observed globally to promote linguistic diversity and protect mother tongues, while in Bangladesh it is also commemorated as Language Martyrs' Day.