Silchar: The Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan on Wednesday staged a sit-in at the foot of the Shaheed Khudiram statue here, protesting what it termed the growing disrespect towards Bengali in government and private spheres. The organisation also demanded that the status of Bengali as one of India’s national languages be preserved and protected.

The demonstration saw the participation of representatives from various communities and eminent citizens, who voiced anger over rising incidents of discrimination, humiliation, and social neglect faced by Bengalis across the country.

Speakers alleged that from Assam to Delhi, Karnataka to Gujarat, Bengali-speaking citizens are still being branded “foreigners” or “Bangladeshis.” They condemned the attempt to label Bengali—one of India’s oldest and richest languages—as a “Bangladeshi language,” calling it a divisive move.

Former Katigorah MLA Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya accused the state government of fuelling anti-Bengali sentiment and arming other groups against the community. Recalling his earlier query in the Assembly on the definition of “khilonjiya” (indigenous), he said no clear answer had been given despite the formation of commissions. Urging unity akin to the 1961 language movement, he called on all communities to resist divisive politics.

Former Assam University Vice Chancellor Prof. Tapodhir Bhattacharjee termed the developments “deeply worrying,” alleging that the government had been spreading hatred for the past 11 years. Calling the recent incident in Delhi a “conspiracy,” he said, “Those who attack Bengalis are enemies of the nation.” He asserted there is no such language as “Bangladeshi”—only Bengali.

Sammelan’s Cachar district president Sanjib Deblaskar said the trend amounted to “an attack on our very existence,” aimed at relegating Bengalis to second-class citizenship.

Central general secretary Gautam Prasad Dutta pointed out that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conferred classical language status on Bengali alongside Assamese just ten months ago, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya had now refused to recognise it as a language. He demanded that the government clarify its position.

Other speakers, including Haridas Dutta of the Citizens’ Rights Protection Committee, playwright Chitrabhanu Bhowmik, CRPC general secretary Sadhan Purkayastha, Manipuri Sahitya Parishad’s M. Shanti Kumar Singh, and Hindi-speaking Students’ and Youth Association president Sanjeev Roy, condemned any move to divide people over language. They highlighted Bengali’s constitutional protections, its historic role in India’s progress, and its contribution to enriching other languages, including Manipuri.

Prominent figures such as former minister Ajit Singh, educationist Samar Kanti Roy Choudhury, linguist Abid Raza Mazumdar, and others attended the programme. Conducted by Dipak Sengupta, the event also featured songs performed by women members.