FINAL REPORT

HIS103.25

1969 MASS MOVEMENT

BANGLADESH
 FINAL REPORT
1969 MASS MOVEMENT OF BANGLADESH

SUBMITTED TO: Mrs. Fatema Samina Yasmin

Lecturer
Department of History and Philosophy
North South University
SECTION: 25
SUBMITTED BY: TEAM CRACK PLATOONS

NAME ID

Sabina Yasmin 1610499030

Mir Zayed Bin Abdul Kader 1620011030

Md. Shafiqul Islam 1610042030

Md. Belal Hossain 1612591030

Sheikh Mohammad Kamran 1620442030

Abid Rahman Rafsun 1530516030

Abid Rahman Rafsun 1611972030

Asmaul Hosna Shaika 1811280049

Sadia Kabir Jisa 1711523649

Mariha Rahman Monika 1711061649

18th March 2018
Mrs. Fatema Samina Yasmin
Lecturer
Department of History and Philosophy
North South University

It is our privilege to submit the final report on the Mass Movement of 1969,
Bangladesh

We currently believe and hope that this report would help us to utilize our report
writing skills and also enrich our knowledge about our history. We tried our best to
look deep within the matter and make full use of our capabilities in making the study
meaningful and worthwhile. We want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to
work on this group project.

Now we have placed this report before you for your kind approval. We hope that our
report will satisfy you. For any kind of queries we would be available at your
convenience.

Sincerely yours,
Team Crack Platoon
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Writing this report on our great 1969 movement was a great experience. This report
was prepared with tremendous amount of work, research and dedication. It would not
have been possible to gain this immense knowledge without the help of many
individuals.

We would like to thank our academic supervisor Mrs. Fatema Samina Yasmin, Lecturer,
Department of History and Philosophy, North South University, for her immense
guidance and valuable support concerning report completion.

We are truly grateful to those liberation warriors of our country who gifted us our
independence. Without their efforts we couldn t have been standing here. We dedicate
our entire effort to them.

Nevertheless, we are indebted to our families, friends and those people who had
helped us in completing this project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The mass upsurge of 1969 played a vital role in preparing the nation for the Liberation
War in 1971. The sixties were a golden decade of the country when nationalism grew
up among the people. 1969 in East Pakistan was a democratic political movement in
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that took place in 1969.

The uprising consisted of a series of mass demonstrations and sporadic conflicts

between government armed forces and the demonstrators. Although the unrest began
in 1966 with the Six-point movement of Awami League, it got momentum at the
beginning of 1969 and culminated in the resignation of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the
first military ruler of Pakistan. The uprising also led to the withdrawal of Agartala
Conspiracy Case and acquittal of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his colleagues from the
case.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction ............................................. 1
2. Prologue .................................................. 3
3. The main Event ........................................ 4
4. Consequences and Impact ...................... 6
5. Conclusion ............................................... 8
6. Reference................................................. 9

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1969 Mass Movement of Bangladesh
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1969 Mass Movement of Bangladesh
Final Report

1. INTRODUCTION

We achieved our Bangladesh after a bloody war of long nine months. The mass upsurge of
1969 played a vital role in preparing the nation for the Liberation War in 1971.

The 1969 uprising in East Pakistan was a democratic political movement in East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh). The uprising consisted of a series of mass demonstrations and sporadic
conflicts between government armed forces and the demonstrators. Although the unrest
began in 1966 with the Six-point movement of Awami League, it got momentum at the
beginning of 1969 and culminated in the resignation of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the first
military ruler of Pakistan. The uprising also led to the withdrawal of Agartala Conspiracy
Case and acquittal of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his colleagues from the case.

Mass Upsurge, 1969' started with the student unrest of 1968 against the tyrannical rule of
Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan. The movement soon engulfed the whole of the then East
Pakistan and the peasants, artisans, workers joined the movement almost everyone jumped
into the war. Due to continuous exaction of undue demands the laboring class of the
industrial belts and low and medium income groups soon turned the movement into a
struggle for economic emancipation. The racial repression and the deprivation of the
Bengalis within the frame work of Pakistan and, to the contrary, starting from the language
movement the feeling of separate identity together with struggle for autonomy had direct
influence on the mass upsurge of 1969. Indeed, this mass upsurge was the greatest mass
awakening ever since the creation of Pakistan.

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Some rare pictures from the vault

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2. PROLOGUE

Pakistan was increasingly worried by the Bengali political activism. they arrested east
Pakistan leaders on false charges. Calling for their release, the student population erupted
in protests. Led by DACSU progressive student unions came together to from student action
committee. The uprising of 1969 started with the demand of freeing the leaders and securing
the rights of the working-class people.

Pent-up anger of the downtrodden turned into a movement for freedom. The police opened

people of the entire country. Arrested in the Agortola conspiracy case sergeant Jahurul
Haque got killed in captivity on February 15. At the news of his death Maulana Bhasani
addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. He declared the cessation of tax
pa -point demands are not fulfilled in two months.
On 18 February with the death of Rajshashi university proctor Dr. SHAMSHUZZOHA, angry
student population defied the curfew and took to the streets. Pakistan Government was
forced to set the prisoners free unconditionally Ayub khan handed over power to Yahiya
khan as the 1970 election drew closer. Bengalis started feeling that all their unmet economic,
political demands will finally be met.

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3. THE MAIN EVENT

The movement of upsurge (ঊনসত্তরেে গণঅভ্যুত্থান) of 1969 started in 1968 against the
tyrannical rule of Ayub Khan. The student agitation organized by Sarbadaliya Chhatra
Sangram Parishad and supported by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani created mass
movement against the conspiracy of the government and demanded immediate withdrawal
of the Agartala case and release of all prisoners including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This
uprising included a series of mass demonstration between government armed forces and the
demonstrators. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani asked his followers to blockade
Governors house and after the meeting of 6 December 1968 a huge number of protester

leaders of the East Pakistan Students League, East Pakistan Students Union and a section of
the National Students Federation formed the Students Action Committee (SAC) and
declared their 11-point Programme. It was called for the restoration of democracy in 1969.
SAC created an Eleven Points Programme that was based on the 1965 Six Point program of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Immediately after the 11-Point program there was formation of a
political coalition named Democratic Action Committee (DAC) to restore democracy
including Awami League and NAP.

Meanwhile during these mass protests, a student leader Amanullah Asaduzzaman of Dhaka
University died when police fired on the processions on 20 January.

The killing of Asad moved the whole nation and the movement turned into a national
upsurge. On 24 January a teenager activist Matiur was gunned down by police and the
situation in Dhaka was beyond control. The upsurge went to its peek when Sergeant Zahurul
Haq, one of the convicts of Agartala Conspiracy Case, was assassinated in the prison of
Kurmitola Cantonment. This news lead to a serious mob.

On 18th February The proctor of Rajsahi University Dr. Mohammad Shamsuzzoha was
stabbed to death with bayonet. This news spread like fire throughout the whole nation. The

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movement soon engulfed the whole of the-then East Pakistan's politicians, students,
peasants, artisans, workers- all joined the movement and protested against the autocrat.

And finally as a result of the upsurge the Agartala case was withdrawn in 21st February and
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was titled as Bangabandhu. And as a consequence of the mass
uprising Ayub khan was forced to resign and hand over power. It was a democratic struggle
of confronting ferocious backlash that had significant impact on our liberation war.

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4. CONSEQUENCES AND IMPACT

The impact of the 1969 upsurge was huge for the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh. It is
because after the upsurge the people of Bangladesh who were from remote areas tend the
city tend to came out for protesting against the injustice of the tyrannical ruler.

Because of this huge upsurge then government Ayub Khan was forced to resign from his
leadership in the year of 1969. They were also forced to form a new government led by
Yahiya Khan and to have an election separately where another party will be led by Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.

Moreover, class consciousness grew and advanced a step forward. The demand for a separate
state became stronger than ever before among the people of Eastern Bengal. Bengali
nationalism became sufficiently strong to sustain during the war of liberation in 1971. It tends
to teach the Bengalis about the value of democracy and to protest against oppression. It
made the country Bangladesh which was then Eat Pakistan more independent and strong
and all the people in the country was united. The increased tempo of struggle then in our
country was a commitment to end all forms of exploitation of humans in part of our land.
Slowly, the impact tends to show of the 1969 upsurge as people started to believe the war
to be successful.

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5. CONCLUSION

The mass uprising of 1969 had an influence in the poling of 1970 and the liberation war of
1971, and the achievements were made possible for the spark of the Bengali nationalism in
the people
The struggling people brought out a procession on this day (January 24) in 1969 defying
repression and curfew imposed by the rulers.
Then the mass upsurge compelled the autocratic Ayub regime to release Bangabandhu and
others from jail and the autocrat Ayub had to step down.
The mass upsurge still inspires all to fight against misrule and exploitation.

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6. REFERENCE

1969 Mass uprising in East Pakistan. (2018, November 30). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Mass_uprising_in_East_Pakistan

1971 Liberation war, birth of Bangladesh and comparison with present day Pakistan. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.efsas.org/publications/research-dossiers/1971-
liberation-war,-birth-of-bangladesh-and-comparison-with-present-day-pakistan/

Mass Upsurge, 1969. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mass_Upsurge,_1969

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