First gazette on ‘martyrs’ of July uprising published

The first gazette includes the names of 834 “martyrs” across the country

The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has published the first gazette listing the “martyrs” of the July 2024 uprising which changed the course of Bangladesh’s history.

A total of 834 names have been included in the first gazette published on Wednesday.

The gazette signed by Deputy Secretary Haridas Thakur includes medical case IDs, names, the names of the martyrs’ fathers, current addresses, and permanent addresses. However, the date and place of death are not mentioned in the gazette.

The government’s Special Cell on the Mass Movement drew up the first draft of names of the “martyrs and the injured” on Dec 21.

It included 858 “martyrs” and 11,551 injured.

The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs was opened five decades ago to conserve the history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and for the betterment of families of martyrs and injured freedom fighters.

A new department has been introduced under the ministry to look after the people impacted by the mass uprising in 2024, after around 1,500 people were killed and 20,000 injured.

A quota reform movement ignited at Dhaka University in mid-2024, intensifying further in mid-July. Violence sparked when six people, including Abu Sayed of Rangpur, were shot dead by police.

While the government tried to use its power to suppress the movement, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement turned from its quota protest origins into a one-point movement to topple the government. In the face of the mass uprising, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on Aug 5.

After the interim government took over, the Ministry of Health formed a committee on Aug 15, to make a list of those killed and injured in July and August during the mass uprising. The first gazette has been published on Wednesday after scrutiny.