Millions spent to discredit July Uprising Press Secy

Staff Reporter :

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has accused the ousted Awami League of orchestrating a coordinated smear campaign against Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and his administration, following their removal through a major public uprising.

Speaking at the launch of the book Droher Graffiti: Chobisher Gono Obhyutthan by GM Rajib Hossain, Deputy Chief News Editor
of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday, Alam alleged that significant funds were being channelled to portray Professor Yunus as a militant leader.

He claimed that Indian media was complicit in this effort, aiming to distort Bangladesh’s historic mass uprising by presenting it as a fabricated conspiracy.

Sharpening his criticism of the former ruling party, Alam described Sheikh Hasina as the “mother of thieves and queen of enforced disappearances.”

He accused her and her allies of attempting to rewrite Bangladesh’s history, falsely claiming the deaths of 3,000 police officers and mischaracterising Professor Yunus as a militant leader.

Alam alleged that this disinformation campaign was a well-coordinated effort, with Indian media playing a significant role while Hasina’s associates invested millions in manipulating narratives.

He argued that the ultimate goal was to reverse the historical significance of the July Revolution that led to the Awami League’s downfall.

“Our primary responsibility now is to document every incident of the July uprising,” Alam emphasised, warning against any attempts to distort history.

He claimed that during the 15 years of Awami League rule, research on the 1974 famine was systematically suppressed.

Alam pointed out that photojournalist Aftab Ahmed, who captured the iconic image of famine victim Basanti, died under suspicious circumstances, with no proper investigation conducted.

He further alleged that 30,000 people were executed by the Rokkhi Bahini, a paramilitary force formed under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and accused successive Awami League governments of attempting to erase these atrocities from history.

According to Alam, manipulating historical records was a tool of oppression, enabling perpetrators to present themselves falsely as victims.

Recalling his own experience, Alam recounted how his family struggled for food during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s rule, with his brother queuing for rationed supplies for days and people surviving on rice gruel.

He criticised Awami League’s portrayal of that period as a golden age, highlighting what he described as fragile and detrimental economic policies under Sheikh Mujib’s leadership.

Alam also criticised media censorship during that era, claiming it obscured the economic crisis and suppressed accurate portrayals of the Liberation War.

He argued that this lack of documentation created opportunities for fraudsters to pose as freedom fighters and ascend to influential positions, including ministerial roles.

Highlighting the importance of preserving historical records, Alam urged that graffiti and artwork from the July uprising be archived to prevent future distortions of history.

Turning to Awami League’s judicial record, Alam reminded the audience of the persecution of a former Chief Justice, who was forced into exile during Hasina’s rule. “If a Chief Justice was not safe under the Awami League, imagine the fate of ordinary citizens,” he remarked.

Alam concluded by accusing Sheikh Hasina’s regime of laundering $234 billion out of Bangladesh and holding it responsible for 3,500 enforced disappearances and 2,000 deaths during the July-August movement.