By Firstdespatch Desk May 07, 2025
Silchar, May 7 (FD) As the emotionally significant date of May 19 approaches, the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has renewed its long-standing demand to rename Silchar Railway Station as “Bhasha Shahid Station,” honoring the martyrs of the 1961 Bengali language movement in Barak Valley.
In a press release issued by BDF chief convenor Pradip Dutta Roy, the organization emphasized that while it appreciates various development initiatives taken by the Chief Minister for the Barak Valley, the deeply symbolic demand to rename the railway station remains unfulfilled. Roy highlighted that May 19 marks the tragic day when eleven people lost their lives in Silchar during a protest to protect the right to use Bengali as their mother tongue. Since then, this day has held deep emotional and cultural value for the people of the region.
Roy recalled that the central government and the Ministry of Railways had previously expressed no objection to the renaming proposal and had even directed the Assam government to proceed with multilingual signage. Yet, he noted, the file continues to languish in Dispur without any clear explanation. Despite earlier instructions from the Chief Minister to local MLA Dipayan Chakraborty to act on a memorandum submitted by the Bhasha Shahid Station Smarak Smaran Samiti, no tangible steps have been taken so far.
The BDF stressed that the language movement was not solely a Bengali struggle. People from various ethnic groups — including Dimasa, Manipuri, and Tea Tribes — also actively participated. Therefore, the renaming would be a tribute to all communities of Barak Valley who united for linguistic dignity.
Jaydeep Bhattacharjee, convenor of the BDF Media Cell, pointed out that in 2017, former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had announced the establishment of a Language Martyrs’ Memorial Museum with ₹8 crore allocated for the project. Yet, this too has seen no progress. Bhattacharjee called upon the current government to act swiftly, arguing that such steps would foster better understanding and harmony between the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys.
The BDF further demanded official recognition of the eleven language martyrs and financial support for their families as a long-overdue gesture of respect.
The press release was issued by BDF spokesperson Hrishikesh Dey, urging the government to take timely action and honor the sacrifices made in the name of linguistic rights.