‘There should be no more mourning’

BNP plans to establish a separate department under the Liberation War affairs ministry to support the families of July martyrs and the injured if it comes to power, said party Chairman Tarique Rahman.

He said independence and sovereignty were achieved in 1971 and protected again in 2024 through the mass uprising against fascism.

A person maimed in the July uprising breaks down in tears while speaking at the Krishibid Institution in the capital yesterday, when BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman met the families of those killed and injured during the 2024 mass movement. Photo: Rashed Shumon

“July warriors are also considered as freedom fighters,” said Tarique during a views-exchange event at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh with the families of those killed in the uprising and those seriously injured.

Listening to the accounts of martyrs’ families and injured persons, Tarique appeared visibly emotional, at times breaking down and embracing family members of the victims to offer comfort.

He also came down from the stage, approached the families, listened to the injured, and offered them consolation.

Family members broke down in tears while sharing their grief. 

Tarique’s wife Zubaida Rahman sat alongside the families of the martyrs as a guest and was seen speaking with several victims and their relatives. 

Criticising the interim government for the lack of any visible action or support, families of the deceased and the injured people demanded that the BNP chief ensure rehabilitation and long-term support for their livelihoods and medical needs in the future.

The BNP chief said if his party forms the government with public support, it will try to address, at least to some extent, sufferings of the families of July martyrs and those injured.

He added that they could try to compensate the injured in two ways: first, by ensuring the best possible medical treatment through state initiatives, and second, by fulfilling the goals for which they took to the streets --political and economic rights for all -- regardless of party affiliation.

The BNP chief opined that the 2024 mass uprising did not belong to any individual, party or group. “It was a true mass uprising of democratic people who were deprived of their rights.”

People must remain alert against attempts to turn the uprising to protect independence into a movement for partisan interests. 

He added that the upcoming national election is “extremely important” for building a safe and democratic Bangladesh.

Those who were martyred and injured during the uprising ignored the threats of fascists and remained committed to their goal of building a self-reliant and democratic Bangladesh.

“If we fail to establish a safe democratic Bangladesh in the coming days, the nation will continue to witness mourning gatherings and tales of grief. 

“There should be no more mourning. Instead, democracy-loving people must write the story of democratic victory in future Bangladesh.”

Tarique said that during the anti-fascist movement for more than a decade and a half, thousands of people became victims of enforced disappearance, murder, and abduction. Countless families have been torn apart, having lost everything.

Even in the July uprising alone, over 1,400 people were martyred and about 3,000 people were injured.

“There are 500 people whose one eye or both eyes were damaged. Many have become crippled. The way the people were killed during the July uprising, in one word, we can call it simply genocide,” the BNP chief added. 

BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan chaired the programme.

Meanwhile, a dozen injured people and martyrs’ family members blamed advisers for not standing by the families and accused the interim government of betrayal, corruption, and neglect.

Fatema Tuj Johora, mother of Abdullah Bin Jahid, said her son was killed on the evening of August 5, 2024. 

Fourteen days later, her younger son Jisan was diagnosed with stage-three colon cancer. Seven months and 13 days after Jahid’s death, her husband died of a stroke.

“Now I have no one left except my younger son.”

She hopes that if the BNP is voted to power, it would stand by her family.

Jartaj Parvin, mother of Shafiq Uddin Ahnaf, who was killed on August 4 in Mirpur-10, said her son was a student of BAF Shaheen College and dreamed of becoming a businessman. 

She urged Tarique to ensure that those involved in the killings face trial if his party comes to power, saying that she lost her trust in the interim government. 

She added that the martyrs’ families want whichever political party forms the next government to ensure justice and not betray them as the interim government did.

Abu Hossain, the younger brother of Abu Sayed of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, said the two police officers involved in his brother’s killing have yet to face trial, even though nearly a year and a half has passed. 

At the event, Abdur Rouf, father of Md Miraz, said his son was killed in Jatrabari and criticised the advisers, particularly student advisers, for failing to stand by the victims’ families.

Abdul Hasan, father of Shahriar Hasan, who was killed on August 4, said nearly 18 months have passed without visible progress in ensuring trial.

He accused advisers of abandoning the injured and their families, calling the trials a “mockery of justice”.

Mustafizur Rahman, father of July martyr Mir Mugdho, called on the next government to provide financial and educational support to the families of the injured and martyrs.