Dhirendranath Dutta was an octogenarian lawyer, politician, and lifelong advocate of linguistic justice and communal harmony—one of the earliest and most courageous champions of the Bengali language in Pakistan. In 1948, his historic demand in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly that Bangla be recognised alongside Urdu ignited the first spark of what would later become the Language Movement.

A handwritten notebook in which Dhirendranath Dutta recorded his reflections on the discriminatory “Enemy Property Act”, revealing his lifelong commitment to minority rights and constitutional fairness. Courtesy: Liberation War Museum

A veteran of the Quit India movement, Dutta endured years of imprisonment for his anti-colonial activism. After the United Front's victory in 1954, he served as Health Minister, where he played a pivotal role in expanding public healthcare. His efforts contributed to the establishment of medical colleges in Rajshahi and Chattogram and the creation of tuberculosis and community clinics across the country, laying foundations that outlasted his tenure.Even in retirement in Comilla, age did not diminish his commitment to justice.

On 29 March 1971, Pakistani military personnel stormed his home and abducted both Dutta and his son. The 85-year-old statesman was taken to the Comilla cantonment, where he was tortured and killed. His body was never recovered.

A handwritten notebook in which Dhirendranath Dutta recorded his reflections on the discriminatory “Enemy Property Act”, revealing his lifelong commitment to minority rights and constitutional fairness. Courtesy: Liberation War Museum

Dutta's life was defined not only by language rights but by an unwavering defence of constitutional justice. His work consistently stood against discrimination, exclusion, and authoritarian abuse, making his murder an act of symbolic erasure as much as a physical one.