The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) marked July Martyrs’ Day with a Facebook post on Thursday, recalling the events of July 16, 2024. The post described the day as the birth of a spark of protest in Bangladesh’s history, symbolizing resistance against autocracy, corruption, and injustice. It alleged that police and ruling party activists attacked peaceful student demonstrators demanding quota reform, resulting in the deaths of six young people across three districts.

According to the BNP post, one of the victims, Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was shot dead by police, while three students were killed in Chattogram and two more in Dhaka. The post highlighted the sacrifice of student leader Wasim Akram, who was killed in Chattogram and had expressed his commitment to the movement shortly before his death. The BNP described the day as both a moment of protest and a pledge to continue the struggle until justice for the martyrs is achieved.

Security was reportedly tightened in Dhaka and other parts of the country on the occasion of July Martyrs’ Day.