Promise still waits two years after Uprising

They died in the streets so that Bangladesh could be free of fascism. Two years later, as the nation marks July Mass Uprising Day today, the students and common people who paid that price would struggle to recognise the country they were promised.

The aims and objectives of the July Uprising, for which the country’s students and common people sacrificed their lives in 2024 to force the fascist Sheikh Hasina government to step down, remain a far cry from reality.

When the uprising toppled Hasina’s autocratic rule, many believed the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would fulfil the people’s expectations and uphold the spirit of that movement.

Two years on, however, critics say the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has drifted far from that spirit, with its leaders and activists accused of undermining it almost daily and repeatedly clashing with July’s “heroes” — the students and citizens who led the uprising — both inside and outside parliament.

In one of the most recent flashpoints, ruling party leaders and activists were accused of obstructing the common democratic right to hold rallies organised by the National Citizen Party (NCP), a platform formed by students and veterans of the July movement, raising questions about the government’s commitment to democratic rights it once championed.

The episode reportedly prompted NCP chief Nahid Islam to warn that, given the way the government is being run, it may not complete its full five-year tenure in office.

Even within the ruling party’s own ranks, the disillusionment is hard to miss. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recently expressed disappointment over the lack of visible change in the state and administration despite the sacrifices made during the uprising.

Drawing on his experience as minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Fakhrul said, “I see that nothing has changed.”

Adding to the disquiet, the government has yet to implement the July National Charter, a document meant to enshrine the political and constitutional reforms demanded by the uprising.

Critics say the delay — driven, they argue, by the ruling party’s narrower political interests — risks setting the stage for fresh political crisis in the country.

Opposition Plans Protest Rally on Uprising Day
In protest, an 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a mass rally in the capital on Wednesday — July Mass Uprising Day itself — demanding implementation of the referendum verdict and the July National Charter, and protesting rising commodity prices, the gas crisis, inflated “ghost” electricity bills, and a deteriorating law-and-order situation.

The decision was taken at a meeting of alliance leaders at the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition on Minto Road in Dhaka.

According to a press release signed by 11-party alliance coordinator Hamidur Rahman Azad, the rally will be held on Wednesday at the southern gate of Baitul Mokarram National Mosque, where the alliance is set to announce a final round of programmes.

The alliance has also called for sit-in demonstrations outside electricity and gas offices in all city corporations and districts across the country on Thursday, August 6.

A separate sit-in programme is planned for 11am the same day at Muktangan in Dhaka, after which a memorandum will be submitted at the Secretariat.

Government’s National Day Observance
Despite the political undercurrents, the state has drawn up an extensive programme to observe “July Mass Uprising Day 2026” with due dignity.

The President and the Prime Minister will issue separate messages, and wreaths will be laid at July martyrs’ memorials in all 64 districts.

According to a government information bulletin issued Tuesday by the Directorate General of Information, decisions on the day’s observance were finalised at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to inaugurate the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum as chief guest at 9am on August 5, unveiling its commemorative plaque.

The museum has been established to preserve the legacy of the uprising — which the government describes as a landmark in Bangladesh’s anti-fascist, democratic struggle — for future generations and to honour those martyred or injured during the movement.

After the inauguration, Tarique will tour the museum’s galleries, viewing artefacts, photographs, documents and memorabilia chronicling the uprising.

Family members of martyrs and movement participants will share their experiences, and a documentary on the uprising and its aftermath will be screened, alongside cultural performances of patriotic songs and recitations.

At 11am the same day, families of July martyrs and “July fighters” will be honoured at a reception and discussion at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka, with Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram attending as chief guest.

Newspapers across the country will carry special articles, literary supplements and commemorative sections. State and private television and radio channels, including Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar, will air discussion programmes and special broadcasts on the uprising. Educational institutions nationwide will hold discussion sessions, essay, recitation and drawing competitions, while Bangladesh missions abroad will organise their own commemorative discussions.

Religious institutions will hold special prayers after Zohr or at a convenient time. Major roads and traffic islands in Dhaka and other cities will be decorated with the national flag, banners, festoons and colourful streamers, and July memorials will be illuminated.

A commemorative postage stamp will also be released. State-run and autonomous museums will remain open to the public free of charge from morning to evening, and recreational venues will offer free entry for children.

Feasts are planned at government hospitals, prisons, child welfare and rehabilitation centres, facilities for people with disabilities, day-care centres and shelters for the homeless.

Separately, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has announced a wide-ranging, multi-layered security plan to maintain law and order in the capital and ensure public safety during the observance. In a press release issued Tuesday and signed by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Media) Niaz Mahedi, the DMP said picketing and checkpoint duty had been significantly increased across the capital to guard against any sabotage, untoward incidents or threats to public safety linked to the day.