Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu said the government will ensure state benefits for July fighters comparable to those provided to freedom fighters. Speaking after laying a wreath at the July Memorial at C&B intersection in Rajshahi on Wednesday morning, he said the nation would never forget the sacrifice of those killed in the July uprising. He also said the government would stand beside bereaved families and people injured during the movement.

Minu said the government is committed to upholding the spirit of the student-public struggle against fascism. He pledged improved treatment for those injured and said work is under way on a long-term rehabilitation plan for injured people and families of the deceased. The minister also said plans had been taken to secure the long-term financial safety of bereaved families.

At the event, the father of slain Shakib Anjum demanded justice for his son's killing and swift, severe punishment for those responsible. Political, social, cultural and professional groups, along with members of the public, visited the memorial to pay respects. Authorities imposed strict security around the site and deployed law-enforcement personnel across the city to maintain order.

Leaders of the National Citizen Party, or NCP, boycotted a reception and discussion programme for July martyrs’ families and July fighters after a video documentary shown at the start triggered controversy. The event began on Wednesday at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, with Quran recitation. President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram attended as chief guest. NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain spoke before party leaders left the venue.

Senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adib, Munira Sharmin and several other NCP leaders were with Hossain. Adib told Amar Desh that the documentary distorted history. He said it did not mention the banner of the anti-discrimination student movement during the July movement, the nine-point demands, or the one-point declaration, and presented no information on those issues.

The documentary had already prompted disorder at the programme. After it was screened, some injured July fighters and relatives of martyrs shouted “fake, fake,” spreading tension in the venue. Calls for calm were made repeatedly from the stage. Adib also said the boycott protested alleged attacks on NCP activists during state programmes held nationwide to mark July Mass Uprising Day.

Opposition lawmaker Rokeya Begum called for implementation of the July Charter, saying the desired change cannot be achieved without it. She made the remarks on Tuesday as chief guest at a daylong discussion and prize-giving event at Mugdha Mancha in Uttara, Dhaka, marking the second anniversary of the July mass uprising.

Identifying herself as the mother of martyr Jaber Ibrahim, Begum said she attended in memory of nearly 1,400 martyrs. She said July had changed their lives and that they could no longer live normally. She said the young men had given their lives to build a beautiful Bangladesh and asked people to pray for the martyrs and heroes.

The event was organised by the July Mass Uprising Celebration Committee, Uttara, chaired by joint convener Dr Mostafa Faisal Parvez and conducted by member secretary Kamrul Hasan. Its programme included a July photo exhibition, recollections by martyrs’ families and injured people, discussions, prize distribution, an event titled “Bidroher Uttara,” and cultural performances. A qawwali evening by Kashida was a special attraction, with more than a thousand students, guardians and local residents attending.

Amar Desh special correspondent Abu Sufian has published a firsthand account of curfew, demonstrations and violence in Dhaka on what he calls “35 July” 2024. Published on August 5, 2026, the article describes his movements through Banasree, Dhanmondi, Panthapath, Karwan Bazar, Banglamotor, Shahbagh, the Shaheed Minar and Science Lab. He reported large numbers of students and members of the public protesting, alongside the presence of armed security personnel and ruling-party activists in several areas.

The writer said he received reports of clashes involving protesters around Rampura, Karwan Bazar and Banglamotor, and saw several vehicles on fire. Near the Shaheed Minar, he wrote that protesters brought the body of a young man with gunshot wounds by van. Citing reports sent by correspondents, he said 81 people died nationwide that day.

According to the account, students and members of the public remained on the streets in Shahbagh and elsewhere after the curfew began in the evening. Shops were closed, while a few rickshaws continued to operate and groups of people gathered anxiously at intersections. After being warned of police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel aiming weapons near Shimanto Square, the writer changed route and later observed an army convoy and police positioned opposite Ganabhaban.

An article by Dr. Mahroof Chowdhury, published in Amardesh on August 5, 2026, describes the anxiety and varied involvement of Bangladeshi expatriates during the country’s 2024 mass uprising. It says many people abroad closely followed reports of political instability, clashes, violence and uncertainty while seeking updates on relatives and friends at home through calls, social media and personal contacts.

The article identifies the effective shutdown of internet connectivity on July 19, 2024 as a particularly distressing moment for expatriates, cutting off communication with Bangladesh. It says many spent sleepless nights, struggled to focus on work or study, and relied on diaspora groups, community forums and private networks to exchange limited information and offer emotional support.

Chowdhury characterizes homeland attachment, family ties and economic responsibility as central to diaspora engagement. The article says expatriates collected, checked, translated, preserved and circulated information through online platforms and international networks. It also describes outreach to politicians, rights groups, journalists and others, alongside rallies, human chains and solidarity events in cities including London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Berlin, Paris, Rome and Stockholm. It mentions diaspora participation in a movement to stop sending remittances.

Pathao CEO Fahim Ahmed, writing in an article published on August 5, 2026, recounted his involvement and observations during Bangladesh’s July 2024 mass uprising. He said that after returning from study and work in the United States, he entered the investment sector and later joined Pathao because of its founders’ aim to use technology to address everyday problems. He described business as a means of creating opportunities through employment and entrepreneurship.

Ahmed said he viewed the July movement as more than a political event, calling it a spontaneous demand for merit, justice, dignity and freedom of expression. He wrote that seeing the shooting death of Abu Sayed on social media on July 16 changed his view of the quota reform movement. University closures, violence against students and internet shutdowns later underscored the need for reliable information inside and outside the country.

He said he and his wife arranged safe shelter on July 29 for coordinators Abdul Hannan Masud, Abdul Kader and Mahin Sarkar amid security concerns. Ahmed also said he helped journalists share information and contributed to drafting Bengali and English wording for the August 2 one-point declaration. He described witnessing large public participation on August 3 and 4, and said he received news near Mohakhali Railgate on August 5 that the Ganabhaban had been left.

In an opinion article published by Amar Desh on August 5, 2026, Faez Ahmad Taiyeb argues that the demands behind the July uprising remain unmet two years later. The article says at least 1,400 people were killed and more than 20,000 were injured during the uprising. It contends that while power has changed hands, the state’s underlying structure and governing arrangements have not.

The writer says reform commissions, recommendations and 133 ordinances followed the uprising, but key provisions on protection from enforced disappearance, human rights, an independent higher judiciary and judicial appointments were dropped in the elected parliament. He argues that constitutional concentration of authority over the executive, legislature and judiciary in the prime minister’s office creates the basis for authoritarianism.

The article advocates constitutional reform through a referendum or constituent assembly, stronger separation of powers, decentralisation and independent state institutions including Bangladesh Bank, the Election Commission, courts and the Anti-Corruption Commission. It also calls for roles by political parties, the military, bureaucracy, media and civil society, alongside education reform, quality employment, inflation control, loan recovery and restoration of omitted ordinances.

In an opinion article published by Amar Desh on August 5, 2026, lawmaker Mardia Mumtaz compares the final periods of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s and Sheikh Hasina’s rule in Bangladesh. The writer argues that governments that deny public consent, accountability and political pluralism eventually face severe crises, regardless of how long they remain in power. The article describes Hasina’s departure from the country in 2024 as the outcome of intense public anger.

The article questions the legitimacy and competitiveness of the 1973 election and the elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024. It also cites one-party rule, BAKSAL, restrictions on the media, the Digital Security Act, arrests and allegations of enforced disappearances. On the economy, it discusses management failures during the 1974 famine and cites recent inflation, falling reserves, defaulted loans and money laundering.

Mumtaz calls on political parties to act more cautiously and says elections should produce results accepted by defeated sides. The writer advocates political space for opposition parties, an impartial state for all citizens, independent courts and media, and peaceful constitutional transfers of power.

A five-kilometre marathon titled “Legacy of July” was held in Sunamganj on Wednesday, August 5, to commemorate the spirit of the July mass uprising and its martyrs. Organised by the Sunamganj district branch of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, the event began at 8am from Kazir Point in Sunamganj town.

The marathon was chaired by district Chhatra Shibir president Farhan Shahriar Fahim and managed by district secretary Abdullah Al Mamun. Runners travelled from Kazir Point through Traffic Point, the old bus stand and Kalibari before finishing at Sunamganj Government College. A large number of general students from Sunamganj municipality participated voluntarily.

Participants chanted various protest slogans against fascism during the event. Sunamganj municipal Jamaat ameer Abdus Sattar Md Mamun and several Chhatra Shibir leaders were among those present. In his closing remarks at the college, Fahim urged younger people to remain physically and mentally fit to preserve the spirit of the student-public revolution. The programme concluded in a festive atmosphere.

Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu said the current government is committed to upholding the spirit of students and people who fought against fascism. He made the remarks on Wednesday morning after laying a wreath for July martyrs at the July Memorial Monument at C&B intersection in Rajshahi city. He paid tribute alongside senior district and divisional administration officials.

The minister said treatment for those injured in the July mass uprising would be ensured. He said the government stands beside all martyrs’ families and injured participants and is working on their long-term rehabilitation. Plans are also being prepared to provide long-term financial security for martyrs’ families, according to Minu.

The father of martyr Shakib Anjum demanded justice for his son's killing and swift, severe punishment for those responsible. Minu said the government was working to build the prosperous and discrimination-free Bangladesh envisioned by those who died in the uprising. Thousands of people gathered at the monument with wreaths from the morning, while extensive security arrangements were made around the site and across the city to maintain normal law and order.

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the interim government, has described how he gathered and verified information that Sheikh Hasina had left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, before AFP published the report. In an article published on August 5, 2026, Alam said he was receiving reports around 11 a.m. of crowds moving toward Ganabhaban from Shonir Akhra, Jatrabari and Uttara. He described the situation around his Karwan Bazar office as tense and largely deserted.

After 12:30 p.m., Alam said a source at the Prime Minister’s Office told him Hasina had flown to India. The source later said SSF members had taken her away amid information about large crowds approaching from Uttara and Jatrabari. According to Alam’s account, the original airport route was abandoned after reports that some people from Uttara had entered the airport, and a helicopter departure from Tejgaon Old Airport was chosen.

Alam said AFP’s South Asia editor Peter Martell initially declined to publish the report on a single source and urged further verification. After speaking with two additional sources, Alam confirmed the information. AFP issued a breaking-news report after 1 p.m., which clients in Bangladesh and abroad began citing. Alam said BTV’s announcement around 2 p.m. that the army chief would address the nation eased his anxiety.

A report by Amar Desh recounts meetings at Senabhaban and Bangabhaban on August 5, 2024, involving political leaders, army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and President Mohammad Shahabuddin. It says the army chief consulted party leaders on forming an interim government after news spread that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had left the country. A group of leaders later travelled to Bangabhaban with the army chief and the chiefs of the three services.

According to the report, the army chief told retired Major General Fazle Elahi Akbar that the military would not be party to bloodshed and that he did not seek power. At Bangabhaban, he said the prime minister had resigned and left the country. The report says the president told Saiful Haque that he had received the prime minister’s resignation letter.

Discussions covered Khaleda Zia’s release, dissolution of parliament, the release of detainees and disappeared persons, and law and order. Bangabhaban’s written decisions called for an interim government without delay, firm army action against looting and violence, and Khaleda Zia’s immediate release. On August 6, Bangabhaban announced the dissolution of parliament and Khaleda Zia’s release.

The government plans to build 2,364 residential flats for families of gazetted July revolution martyrs and injured people, Housing and Public Works State Minister Ahmmed Sohel Monjur said on August 5 at the Secretariat. The plan includes 804 flats for martyrs’ families and 1,560 for injured people. Construction is targeted to begin by the end of September this year after the tender process was completed and evaluation began.

The project will involve 33 buildings in Kalshi, Mirpur. For martyrs’ families, authorities plan 12 ten-storey buildings and six fourteen-storey buildings. Another 15 fourteen-storey buildings are planned for injured people. Monjur said providing housing in a good location in Dhaka was a major government responsibility and described the initiative as a sign of respect for their sacrifice.

The minister said the project could be completed within a maximum of three years if work starts in September. He said construction would begin at a convenient time next month and expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would inaugurate the project and lay its foundation stone. The government is also continuing allowances and other support for martyrs’ families and injured people, he said.

Authorities and BNP leaders have selected a helipad site and a possible public-rally venue ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s potential visit to flood-affected areas of Banshkhali in Chattogram. On Tuesday afternoon, the Special Security Force, intelligence agencies, senior administrative officials and BNP representatives jointly inspected locations. They chose Baharchhara sea beach for construction of a helipad and a sandbank beside the embankment as the prospective rally site.

A delegation led by SSF Major Ashiq Khan reviewed surrounding security arrangements and overall preparations. On Monday, Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Dr Md Ziauddin and Chattogram Range DIG Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury also visited the proposed locations. They discussed preparations, security and coordination with relevant officials.

Local administration, police, intelligence officials and leaders from BNP, Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal attended the inspection. Chattogram South District BNP senior joint convener Mishkatul Islam Chowdhury said comprehensive preparations were under way, with organisers aiming for a gathering of hundreds of thousands. He said they expected demands for a permanent embankment, Marine Drive road, four-lane regional highway, flood rehabilitation and canal re-excavation to receive special attention during the visit.

Former interim government adviser Farida Akhter has called for women’s contributions to Bangladesh’s July 2024 student-led uprising to receive a place in history. In an article published on August 5, 2026, she described how protests initially focused on reforming public job quotas but, amid government repression, developed into an anti-fascist movement. She wrote that young people drove the street protests without established political leaders at the forefront.

Akhter said roughly 56% of public appointments had been reserved under various quotas, leaving 44% for merit-based recruitment. Protesters sought to reduce the quota share, and it was eventually lowered to 7%, she wrote. She identified remarks by Sheikh Hasina at a July 14 news conference and subsequent night protests by female students at Dhaka University as a turning point. Women’s rights activists also organized under the banner Khubdho Nari Shomaj and continued demonstrations despite attacks.

The article recounts participation by schoolgirls, homemakers, parents and volunteers, including people who provided food and water to protesters. Akhter said memorial projects and cultural programmes were undertaken in 2025, but July commemorations had become partisan by 2026. She said the National Citizen Party represents student leaders, while other participants outside political parties are less visible, and argued that those involved must help build the future state.