The nation begins observing Amar Ekushey one minute past midnight tonight with paying rich tributes to the Language Movement martyrs, who made the supreme sacrifice to establish Bangla as a state language.

Wreaths will be placed on the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital and other shaheed minars across Bangladesh to commemorate the language martyrs amid tight security.

The Central Shaheed Minar has been decorated with Bangla letters against the backdrop of a rising sun for the observance of Shaheed Dibas, which has also been observed simultaneously as International Mother Language Day since 2000 following a UNESCO declaration.

On February 21, 1952, corresponding to Phalgun 8, 1359 on the Bangla calendar, the then Pakistani rulers banned protests against the announcement of Urdu as the only state language, even though a majority of the combined population spoke Bangla.

Salam, Jabbar, Rafiq and Barkat were killed in police firing on a student procession, brought out defying the  ban demanding Bangla as a state language.

The events of the historic Language Movement led to other landmark movements, including the historic Six-Point Movement of 1966, and the Mass Uprising of 1969, which culminated in the War of Independence in 1971.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will pay respect to the language heroes at the Central Shaheed Minar a minute past midnight and will be followed by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, the Jatiya Sangsad speaker, the chief justice, Dhaka University teachers, Language Movement heroes, and others.

Like every year, the Central Coordination Committee for the Observance of Amar Ekushey published the route map for people coming to the Central Shaheed Minar and Azimpur Graveyard on Wednesday to pay tribute to the language martyrs, New Age Dhaka University correspondent reported.

DU vice-chancellor ASM Maksud Kamal announced it at a press conference at the Abdul Matin Virtual Classroom on the campus on Monday.

According to the route map, people can enter through the road in front of the Salimullah Hall and Jagannath Hall and exit from the Central Shaheed Minar through Dhaka university playground via Doyel Chattar, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Chankharpool.

University teachers, officials, employees, including BNCC, Red Crescent, Rover Scouts, Rangers and volunteers will be engaged in various duties at the entrances. The vice-chancellor urged everyone to provide them with due support.

Different political parties, including the ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, socio-cultural and professional organisations and educational institutions have taken elaborate programmes to mark the day.

The Awami League announced two-day programmes, including placing wreaths at the Central Sheheed Minar following the president and prime minister after midnight and hoisting black flag and party flag at all party offices, including its headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital at 6:30am, said a AL press release.

The party will also pay tribute to language martyrs at the Azimpur Graveyard and then pay tribute to the Central Shaheed Minar at 7:00am, it added.

On February 22, the Awami League will also hold a discussion marking International Mother Language Day at its Dhaka district unit office at Tejgaon with prime minister and party president Sheikh Hasina in the hair.

At a press conference, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced a two-day programme to observe Amar Ekushey.

According to the programme, BNP leaders and activists will gather in front of Balaka Cinema Hall at Nilkhet at 6:00am on Wednesday wearing black badges and then they will first offer prayers at the graves of Language Movement martyrs at Azimpur Graveyard and then go to the Central Shaheed Minar to pay tributes to the language martyrs.

The BNP will keep party and national flags at half-mast and hoist black flags at its central office and other unit offices at 6:00am on Wednesday.

As part of the programmes, the BNP will hold a discussion at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh on Thursday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Md Habibur Rahman said on Monday that there was no specific security threat centring the observance of the day but police took all necessary security measures.

He said this while talking to reporters after visiting security measures at the Central Shaheed Minar in the morning.