Dhaka / Jahangirnagar

1610

Capital Shift to Dhaka (Jahangirnagar)

Islam Khan moves Bengal's Mughal capital from Rajmahal to Dhaka.

In 1610, Islam Khan Chishti transferred the Mughal provincial capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Dhaka and renamed it Jahangirnagar in official use. The move aligned administration with the Bhati frontier where major resistance networks operated.

1905

Partition of Bengal

Colonial reorganization, mass protest, and a new political fault line in Bengal.

In 1905, the British colonial government partitioned Bengal and created the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam with Dacca as its capital. Officials defended the move as an administrative reform, but many opponents in Bengal saw it as a divide-and-rule measure that weakened Bengali political influence. The decision triggered boycott campaigns, Swadeshi activism, and a lasting reconfiguration of political alignments across the region.

1906

All-India Muslim League Founded in Dhaka

A major organizational turning point in Muslim politics of British India.

In December 1906, the All-India Muslim League was founded at Dhaka during the Muhammadan Educational Conference. The formation of the League created a new all-India political platform that sought Muslim representation within colonial constitutional politics and would later play a central role in partition-era negotiations.

1921

Dhaka University Establishment

A new institutional center in eastern Bengal politics and culture.

The establishment of the University of Dhaka in 1921 created a major educational and intellectual institution that later shaped political mobilization, language activism, and public leadership in East Bengal.

1947

Partition and Eastern Bengal

The partition of British India and the making of East Bengal.

In 1947, British India was divided into India and Pakistan, and Bengal itself was split into West Bengal and East Bengal. This chapter traces how rushed borders, communal politics, and mass displacement reshaped the region and set the stage for later struggles over language, autonomy, and identity.

1948

Language Question Becomes a Mass Political Issue

The first organized phase of the movement for Bangla as a state language.

In 1948, language rights became a central political question in East Bengal as students and intellectual groups protested attempts to privilege Urdu alone. Strikes, memoranda, and street mobilization during this period laid the foundation for the later 1952 martyrdom-centered phase of the Language Movement.

1952

Language Movement

The protests and killings that made Bangla central to Bengali political identity.

The Language Movement grew out of post-partition inequality, when East Bengal faced cultural and political pressure from a state that privileged Urdu alone. This chapter follows the protests, the police killings of February 1952, and the way language became central to Bengali political identity.

1971

Liberation War

The history of a nation's independence, struggle, and sacrifice.

The 1971 Liberation War was the final resistance of the people of East Pakistan against long-standing political, economic, and cultural discrimination. After the denial of the people's mandate in the 1970 election and the military crackdown of 25 March, this struggle transformed into an armed war of liberation that led to the birth of independent Bangladesh.

7 March 1971

March 7 Speech

A mass political address that reframed the struggle.

On 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a landmark speech that politically unified resistance, coordinated civil non-cooperation, and prepared mass society for a decisive confrontation.

2024

Anti-Discrimination Movement

A youth struggle over jobs, fairness, and the future.

The 2024 Anti-Discrimination Movement began around the reinstatement of the government job quota system. Students from universities across the country mobilized to demand merit-based recruitment. The movement quickly spread nationwide and, over time, grew into a broader social and political protest.