A walk through history
– Dhaka University, 1971 –

The University of Dhaka became closely associated with the formation of Bengali nationalism soon after the creation of Pakistan. It started in 1948 when the students of Dhaka University defied Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Father of Pakistan, and his imposition of Urdu, a language spoken by a minority in West Pakistan, as Pakistan’s state language—culminating in the 1952 Language Movement. This movement sowed the seeds for the liberation of Bangladesh. Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Dhaka University was at the forefront of the movement for democracy. The movement shifted from cultural autonomy towards economic and political independence, which ultimately led to the creation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. The emergence of Bengali nationalism in the pre-independence era was marked by the struggles of the students and teachers of the university, brought about by the oppressive Pakistani ruling elites. Perhaps, for this reason, the University of Dhaka became a target of the Pakistan military during the Liberation War.

The University of Dhaka lost eminent teachers, academics, students, and employees during the nine-month long Liberation War. The Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS) at University of Dhaka plans to introduce the “Walking Museum: 1971 Genocide Pathways in the University of Dhaka” to pay homage to those brave souls who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Bangladesh and also to make the future generations—including academics and researchers—aware of the 1971 genocide at the University of Dhaka.