Physically Injured of July withdraw protest after assurances

Protesting victims of the July-August mass uprising called off their demonstration on early Monday after receiving assurance that their demands would be met.

Hasnat Abdullah, central coordinator of Student Movement against Discrimination, assured them that the category for the injured would be modified and measures for proper treatment would be ensured by this week, while the rest of their demands, including rehabilitation, would be implemented in phases.

The protesters, who took position in front of the state guest house Jamuna, the official residence of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, after 12:00am breaching security barricades along the way, left the place at about 2:00am.

Hasnat Abdullah arrived at the scene a few minutes after the protesters took position there.

Their demands included fair compensation, speedy trial of those involved in the July-August massacre, state recognition of the uprising victims, ensuring their safety through the formation of a safety act, and abolition of the government-created categories for injured individuals based on the severity of injuries.

Earlier, a group of July-August uprising victims, including several undergoing treatment at hospitals, blocked different roads in Dhaka city from Saturday evening to Sunday evening pressing for demands, including proper medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Later, as no government representative visited them by the 6:00pm ultimatum on Sunday, the protesters began moving toward Jamuna.

However, they had to stay in front of InterContinental Dhaka hotel from around 7:40pm due to security barricades put by the police. After midnight, they breached the barricades and took position in front of Jamuna.

Since November 13, 2024, victims of the uprising repeatedly took to the streets to press home their demands, following the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus assuming power on August 8, 2024, three days after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian regime on August 5, 2024.

According to the government data, 834 people were killed and 11,551 were injured during the mass uprising. The government is still updating the data.