Members of the Bangladeshi community were joined by civic leaders in Ipswich for the unveiling of a new memorial to their struggle for independence and their own cultural identity.
The memorial, in Alexandra Park, was unveiled on World Mother Tongue Day and records the day in 1952 when Pakistani troops opened fire on students in Dhaka who were demanding the right to use their native Bengali language.
The Shaheed Minar (Martyr) monument in Ipswich is a replica of the memorial erected in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, in 1963 and represents a Mother with her fallen Sons.
Suffolk Bangladeshi Society chairman Manik Miah said: “Our community are proud to call Suffolk their home and it is our hope that this commemoration will both provide a focal point for our tribute, as well as helping others to understand a little more of our culture and what was such an important moment in our country’s development.”
The memorial was designed by Ipswich-based architect Nick Jacob and was based on original drawings from Bangladesh. It was made by Manningtree structural engineers Stour Engineering LLB and AG Lamb Builders from Ipswich.
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