Dhaka Medical College and Hospital - Role in National History

Role in National History

DMC was involved in all the national movements of Bangladesh. Dhaka Medical College dormitory (known as Barrack) was the heart of the language movement from 1948 to 1952. The Barrack was situated at the same place the Central Shaheed Minar is right now. There was about 20 tin shed barracks where the medical students resided. Being close to the then Parliament of East Pakistan (presently Jagannath Hall of DU), the medical dormitory was chosen as the centre of the student movement due to strategic reasons.

From early hours of February 21, 1952 all the students of Dhaka started to gather in front of medical college dormitory. The procession was headed for the parliament as the session was being held. As section 144 was imposed and armed police force was on guard, no procession whatsoever was possible. But the courageous students decided to break section 144 at 4:00 PM from the historical “Aam-tola” (which was situated beside the present day Emergency gate). The police fired at the procession without any mercy. Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabbar and Shafiur died a tragic death.

After sundown February 21, at the very spot flooded by the martyrs' blood, the students of Dhaka Medical College decided to build a monument. They worked overnight on February 22 and 23 and finished the construction, using the bricks, gravel and cement reserved for the hospital.

The students of DMC played a vital role in the student and mainstream politics of the 60's as well. When the military government of Ayub Khan started torturing the political leaders, the central student leaders took refuge in the Bakshibazar students' dormitory. Most of the meetings deciding the upcoming line of action were held in the college campus. During the movement protesting the martial law and the Hamidur Rahman Education Commission, DMC and its dormitory were not only a safe refuge for the student leaders, many students of this institution also had active participation in it.

On January 20, 1969 police fired and charged on the procession of students near the present emergency gate and student leader Asaduzzaman was severely injured. He was admitted in the hospital but breathed his last in ward no. 8 before any treatment was possible. The students of the medical colleges led a procession with the blood stained shirt of Shaheed Asad. Shortly after the students of Dhaka University had raised the flag of independent Bangladesh in the “Bot tala” of DU on March 2, 1971, the doctors of DMCH raised it at the peak of present Doctors' Cafeteria. Dhaka Medical College had also made its mark in the mass uprising of 90's. The doctors actively participated in the movement protesting the anti people health policy of the government of that time under the banner of BMA.