National Monument for the Language Martyrs (1952), built in memory of the Language Martyrs who dedicated their lives for our mother Tongue (Bangla) when the West Pakistani rulers imposed Urdu language (1952) as a state language, although 99% people of the then East Pakistan spoke in Bangla. The military of the Pakistan Government shot dead dozens of University students in a protest procession in Dhaka University Campus on 21st of February, 1952. Later, this date (21st of February) was chosen as International Mother Tongue Day by UNESCO.