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Published : 01 Aug 2025, 01:17 PM
Protesters injured in the July Uprising have occupied Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection for a second day to demand the implementation of the July Charter and July Declaration.
Undeterred by persistent rain on Friday morning, the demonstrators gathered at the intersection around 11am and erected barricades to block the road.
Traffic came to a standstill when more than a hundred people, under the banner of “July Martyr Family and July Warriors,” occupied the street, according to Md Khalid Mansur, chief of Shahbagh Police Station.
“Like yesterday, they have taken up positions on the road today. As a result, traffic is at a halt around the Shahbagh intersection,” he said.
He added that additional law enforcement personnel had been deployed in the area.
Although there were no traffic jams on the surrounding roads due to the weekly holiday, commuters passing through Shahbagh faced difficulties amid the rain.
The protesters have announced they will continue their blockade until the July Charter is issued.
On Thursday, demonstrators had also occupied the intersection throughout the day, causing severe traffic congestion in the surrounding areas on the final working day of the week.
The ongoing political dialogue with 30 parties over a reform consensus is coming to an end, and disagreements have emerged surrounding the July Charter.
Although a reported consensus was reached on 19 key issues during Thursday’s meeting, uncertainty remains over how many parties will ultimately sign the document.
Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) have said they will reconsider signing the Charter if it lacks a legal foundation.
Four leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (BaSaD), boycotted the last session. They protested the exclusion of the four national principles and said they would not sign the Charter unless the proposal was revised.
The BNP has maintained that the Charter does not require a legal basis at this stage.
Against this backdrop, the “July Warriors” are continuing their protest at Shahbagh, demanding the issuance of the July Charter.
