9. My right to learn Bangla

Every man has a right to converse in his mother tongue, learn to read and write and get educated through his mother tongue. Attempt was made to deny this universal right to Bangali in neighbouring states of erstwhile Bengal state of British India. During 200 years of colonial rule, British never snatched away this fundamental right from Bangla speaking people but at first opportunity Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and other neighbouring states attempted to do exactly that. This is the price Bangali paid for their unrelented fight for independence of India. 15^th August 1947 did not auger well for Bangali. 50% of all Bangali Hindu were about to lose their dignity and ancestor’s home in East Pakistan and millions in India, outside West Bengal were threatened with loss of life, livelihood and Bangaliana. Here we will take up how Bangali was treated in India and how they fought for their rights.  

ASSAM

In April, 1960, a proposal was raised at the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, to declare Assamese as the one and only official language of the state. Tensions ran high in the Brahmaputra Valley. Assam Government and Assamese intellgentia ignited the passion by giving hate statements. Assamese mobs started attacking Bangali Hindu settlements. The violence reached its peak between July and September, during which an estimated 50,000 Bangali Hindus fled the Brahmaputra Valley and arrived in West Bengal. Another 90,000 fled to Barak Valley and other regions of the North East. An one man enquiry commission was set up under Justice Gopal Mehrotra. According to the report of the commission, 4,019 huts and 58 houses belonging to Bangali Hindus were vandalized and destroyed in 25 villages of Goreswar in Kamrup district, which was the worst affected by violence. Nine Bangali Hindus were killed and more than one hundred injured.

On 10 October 1960, Bimala Prasad Chaliha, the then Chief Minister of Assam presented a bill in the Legislative Assembly that sought to legalize Assamese as the sole official language of the state. Ranendra Mohan Das, the legislator from Karimganj (North) assembly constituency and an ethnic Bangali Hindu, protested against the bill on the ground that it sought to impose the language of a third of the population over the rest two thirds. On 24 October, the bill was passed in the Assam legislative assembly thereby making Assamese as the one and only official language of the state.

On 5 February 1961, the Cachar Gana Sangram Parishad was formed to agitate against the imposition of Assamese in the Bangali speaking Barak Valley. On 14 April, the people of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi observed a Sankalpa Divas in protest against the injustice of the Assamese government. On 24 April, the Parishad flagged off a fortnight long padayatra in the Barak Valley, in the regions surrounding Silchar and Karimganj to raise awareness among the masses. The satyagrahis who took part in the padayatra walked over 200 miles and covered several villages. The procession ended on 2 May in Silchar. Later on a similar padayatra was organized in Hailakandi. After the padayatra, Rathindranath Sen, the Parishad chief declared that if Bangali was not accorded the status of official language by 13 April 1961, a complete hartal would be observed on 19 May from dawn to dusk. The Parishad also called for due recognition of the languages of other linguistic minorities.

On 12 May, the soldiers of the Assam Rifles, the Madras Regiment and the Central Reserve Police staged flag march in Silchar. On 18 May, the Assam police arrested three prominent leaders of the movement, namely Nalinikanta Das, Rathindranath  Sen and Bidhubhushan Chowdhury, the editor of weekly Yugashakti.

On 19 May, the dawn to dusk hartal started. Picketing started in the sub-divisional towns of Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi from early in the morning. In Karimganj, the agitators picketed in front of government offices, courts and railway station. In Silchar, the agitators picketed in the railway station. The last train from Silchar was around 4 PM, after which the hartal would be effectively dissolved. Not a single ticket was sold for the first train at 5-40 AM. The morning passed off peacefully without any untoward incident. However, in the afternoon, the Assam Rifles arrived at the railway station.

At around 2-30 PM, a Bedford truck carrying nine arrested Satyagrahis from Katigorah was passing by the Tarapur railway station. Seeing the fellow activists arrested and being taken away, the Satyagrahis assembled at the railway tracks broke out in loud protests. At that point the truck driver and the policemen escorting the arrested fled the spot. Immediately after they fled, an unidentified person set fire to the truck.  A fire fighting team immediately rushed to the spot to bring the fire under control. Within five minutes, at around 2-35 PM, the paramilitary forces, guarding the railway station, started beating the protesters with rifle butts and batons without any provocation from them. Then within a span of seven minutes they fired 17 rounds into the crowd. Twelve persons received bullet wounds and were carried to hospitals. Nine of them died that day. On 20 May, the people of Silchar took out a procession with the bodies of the martyrs in protest of the killings. Two more persons died later. One person, Krishna Kanta Biswas survived for another 24 years within bullet would in chest.

This massacre is comparable with the massacre in Jalianwalabag or the one in Bangladesh on 21 February 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, which is the capital of present day Bangladesh. Here it was Indian police firing on unarmed Indian citizens for wanting to speak in their mother tongue, Bangla. It is shame of India and shame of Assam. After the incident, national media and Government of India stepped in. The Assam government had to withdraw the circular and Bangla was ultimately given official status in Barak Valley. But Bangla is yet to be declared second official lnguage of entire Assam at par with Assamese even though 50% population of  Assam speak Bangla.

Since then the 19th of May is remembered as the Bangla Language day in Barak Valley and other Bangla speaking parts in India like 21st February in Bangladesh.

Bihar

At the time of independence of India in 1947, Bangla speaking Manbhum district was a part of Bihar. From 1948 Bangalis of Manbhum district started suffering as restrictions on Bangla language as well as forcible imposition of Hindi language over Bangla Speaking people had started. Bangla officers of Manbhum district were transferred to the others districts of Bihar, D.I. of school issued notice to teach Hindi from Primary classes, Bangla department was closed in zilla schools. Installation of notice board in only Hindi language was made Compulsory for the schools and business establishment. Presenting the Domicile Certificate became mandatory for the Bangalis of Manbhum District and thereafter for all Bangla speaking populace of entire Bihar. Hindi was declared as official language of Manbhum District.

After seeing the plight of Bangla speaking people, a proposal to make the Bangla as the language of Manbhum district was put up in the Assembly. But it was defeated in 43–55 at the Congress Party on 30 May 1948. On 14 June 1948 the LokSevakSangha was established in Manbhum to protect Bangla Language as well as to fight against forcible imposition of Hindi Language over the Bangla Language as the state policy of the then Bihar government. The government restricted the use of Bangla language in education to the Bangla speaking people of Manbhum District. The government banned rallies also. All these incident sparked the protest to the fullest in Manbhum District.

LokSevakSangha started the agitation in various level.

•             Satyagraha Andolan (Non-violent agitation) (1949–1951)

•             Hal JoalAndolan

•             Tusu Satyagraha Andolan (9 Jan – 8 Feb 1954)

Thousands of Bangali people of Manbhum district with the song Shun Bihari-bhai / ToraRakhteLarbi / Dang Dekhai… … (O Bihari-brothers/ You cannot keep us in Bihar / We are showing you sticks… …) went to jail. The Bar association, Purulia Municipality and Communist party also joined this agitation.

As an effect of this agitation a commission named "State Re-Organization Commission" was set up by the Central government on 23 December 1953. The Commission held hearing in Manbhum district on 5 February 1955 and submitted its report on 10 October 1955. In its report the commission proposed the formation of a new district "Purulia", primarily dominated by Bangla speaking people to West Bengal from erstwhile Manbhum district of Bihar. The new Purulia district comprised 19 Police stations from the then Manbhum district. However,  Dr.BidhanChndra Roy betrayed feelings of common Bangalis and gave consent for accession of three police station (Patamda, Ichagarh and Chandil) to the Bihar as a Special request from TISCO, depriving West Bengal of Jamshedpur and Bangalis of the area freedom of language. On 1 November 1956 with 16 Police stations, 2007 square mile area and with a population of 1,169,097 the new district Purulia was acceded to West Bengal. Still large Bangla speaking area remained with then Bihar.

Other Bangla speaking districts of Bihar were not so lucky. Neither had they fought for establishing Bangla language. Katihar, Purnia, Araria and Kishangunj remains in Bihar. Hindi is strictly implemented in these districts. Over sixty years of imposition has changed language scenario. Some Bangali Hindus in above region consider themselves as Maithili speaking (a language by its own right but close to both Hindi and Bangla.) while Muslims speak a dialect of Bangla, Surjapuri. Only a handful Bhadrolok Bangali claim Bangla as their mother tongue. Still Bangalis constitute one third population of the region. With Surjapuri, a dialect of Bangla, Bangla speaking population constitute more than three fourth of the area.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on 15th November, 2000. From beginning Jharkhand Government passively discouraged Bangla education.  The state government did not appoint Bangla teachers in its schools when existing teachers superannuated. Neither had it constituted Bangla Academy for Bangla language. In 2010, Education Ministry of Jharkhand suddenly decided to stop allowing use of Bangla in examination which was in practice from beginning of education in Jharkhand. Jharkhand Assembly was rocked over allegations that students were being barred from writing exams in Bangla language in this academic year, even as the state government announced a probe into the matter.  Joining the issue after ruling JMM MLA BidyuitBaranMahato informed the House that in most of the schools, students were barred from writing in Bangla. The Opposition stood up demanding that the students be allowed to write in Bangla. When Speaker C P Singh sought to know the reasons behind the withdrawal of Bangla language, HRD Minister Hemlal Murmu said it seemed the Jharkhand Academic Council had stopped it and the government would look into the matter within two days. When the Speaker further asked what would happen to the students who lost the opportunity this year, Deputy Chief Minister Raghuvar Das said the government would definitely look into the matter within two days. Bangla was again allowed but such is the bias against Bangla language and of course Bangali people.

Bangali is not new in Jharkhand. Bangali and tribal lived side by side in Jharkhand before arrival of British. With British occupation, Bangali bhadrolok also arrived in the cities. Subsequent to partition a small number of refugees were resettled in Jharkhand. Officially only 10% population of Jharkhand speaks Bangla. But there are a large number of less educated Bangla speaking population in Jharkhand not enumerated as Bangla speaking. Apart from Bangali, many tribals speak Bangla language in this region because of centuries of togetherness. Bangla is the most spoken language in many parts of Dumka, Dhanbad, Chakulia, Ghatshila and Giridih. Almost 40% of Jharkhand population can converse in Bangla. The demand for the second language status to Bangla in Jharkhand is natural. Bangla, Jharkhand Bangla Association members claimed, is the lingua franca of Santhal Pargana. But unfortunately, Biharis who have settled in Jharkhand and some tribal erroneously try to suppress Bangla language and divide Bangali population fearing Bangali domination.

Orissa

Orissa never had any major conflict of interest with Bangali  except that British brought educated Bangali with them for administration in the initial period of their rule. However as education spread in Orissa, more and more Oriya people took up Government services. Bangla language was never imposed on Oriya people. So there were no real grievances against Bangali in Orissa. Still after independence, anti-Bangla riot broke out in Orissa. In 1973, Medical students of Orissa came out under leadership of one Mr Trivedi to teach Bangalis a lesson. Soon mayhem spread throughout Orissa and Oriya thugs and ruffians took to street. Bangalis were thrashed, Bangali shops were looted and few were killed. However, Orissa Government took immediate action and the riot was brought under control. No action was taken against perpetrators. Neither affected persons were compensated. In Orissa this was the only incidence of anti-Bangla riot.

Bangalis were spared only physically. Anti-Bangla sentiment runs deep in Orissa. Bangla has not been awarded  second language status.

Meghalaya

With the three riots (1979, ’87, ’92), the backbone of the non-tribals was broken in Meghalaya and an exodus started. Non tribals constituted 20% population of Meghalaya when the state was constituted. Today it is halved and non-tribals constitute only 10% population. Bangali Hindu are the main sufferer as they were in education, other professions including Government service and small businesses. Khasi thugs rioted, destroyed houses, shops and businesses of Bangali which forced an exodus of Bangali citizens to West Bengal. Nepalis and other plain’s people also suffered. Only Bangali Muslims remained unscathed and continued to grow by illegal immigration.

A Khasi lawyer put this discrimination down to a cycle of power. “Post-independence, outsiders controlled the bureaucracy and power. They never learnt the local language or tried to fit in. They would look down on the locals and mistreat them. Now that the locals have captured power, they are returning the favour.” he says.

Shillong was a Khasi hamlet before the British established it as the capital of Greater Assam in 1864. Soon, it was inhabited by British officials, Bangali and Assamese bureaucrats and Nepali soldiers. As time passed, a bustling town sprang to life around the British settlement. However,  Bangalis, Assamese, Nepalis, Marwaris, Sindhis, among others who have inhabited Shillong for multiple generations, have now become the outsiders. Discriminated and made to feel like second-class citizens, they are moving out.

Discrimintion could be tolerated to an extent but what happened in Meghalaya was state sponsered terrorism. Khasi thugs went about streets with the knowledge that police will not act against the perpetrator of riot.  Police would neither come to save the victims.. Firemen would not come to douse the fire. Press will not report the incident. Bangali felt helpless and whoever could afford, left Meghalaya. For many it was second time loss of home.

Non-tribals were tagged dakhars and constantly reminded that they are outsiders. There were unwritten rules for what dakhars could or couldn’t do, rules that were enforced by violence. Rules that were enforced by unsocial elements of Khasi soceity with tacit support of Government and administration. Bangali  could only live in marked ghettos. They could not compete for Government jobs, Banks or national organisations in Meghalaya. They could not run small shops. Even teachers in schools behaved in a partisan manner to deprive dakhar students fair assessment. It is worse than staying in pre-independent India or in a fascist country.

Conclusion

Independence with partition has devastated Bangali soceity. Bangali had lost 75% of Bengal. Truncated West Bengal under incompetent leadership, reeled under the burden of Bangali refugee. Bangali was brow beaten by its neighbour. But still He had survived. He has kept faith in his mother tongue. A time will come when Bangali will be again in limelight and renaissance will be reborn.

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