SCERT calendar includes Martyrs' Day for Barak Valley

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The reference of May 19, 1961 as 'Language Martyrs' Day' in the academic calendar of State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) was a step in itself towards the recognition of 11 martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect their mother language, states the Cachar chapters of All Assam Higher Secondary Teacher Association and Karmachari Parishad. It was for the first time that a State official document referred May 19 as 'martyr day', the teachers body representing Barak Valley added.

The academic calendar for the current year issued by SCERT said that on May 19, there would deliberation on the May 19 language martyrs in all schools. However this directive was exclusively for Barak Valley, the calendar specified. It is to be noted that on May 19, 1961 eleven agitators were gunned by Assam police at Silchar railway station. Even after six decades, the State government had not recognised them as martyrs though the Bengali speaking people of Barak Valley had been observing May 19 as Martyrs' Day. Though there was no official holiday on this day, May 19 is observed in all educational institutions.

The scenario changed in 2017 after the BJP government came in to power in Dispur in the previous year. The BJP government announced that there would a uniform academic calendar for the entire State. The new calendar had no reference of May 19 and even Rabindra Jayanti which were previously treated as observance day in school and colleges in Barak Valley.

The Higher Secondary School Teachers Association raised a voice of protest. After four years of constant pursuance, the SCERT had incorporated May 19 in its academic calendar. Krishnendu Roy, president of the Cachar unit of All Assam Higher Secondary Teachers Association said, this was for the first time that a State government document mentioned May 19 as Language Martyrs Day.

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