Parliament clears July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill with revised provisions

The bill has been amended to appoint the cultural affairs minister or state minister as the head of the museum’s board

Parliament has passed the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, 2026 in an amended form to preserve, research, and exhibit the history, artifacts, and documents of the 2024 mass movement.

The bill was moved by Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury during a session presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.

While a special parliamentary committee had initially recommended passing 98 ordinances, including this one, issued by the interim government without changes, the parliament ultimately adopted three amendments to Section 8 of the bill.

The primary amendment, proposed by treasury bench lawmaker Anisur Rahman, stipulates that the minister or state minister of cultural affairs ministry will serve as the chairperson of the museum’s board, replacing the original provision for an externally appointed expert.

A second amendment removed clause (a) from sub-section 2 of Section 8, while a third clarified that board members or the chairperson can resign by submitting a letter to the government.

It also empowered the government to cancel any member's nomination in the public interest.

Supporting his proposals, Anisur, who recounted his own experience of being shot during the movement, said: "The July movement is the movement for the liberation of this nation. Its memories are intertwined with our very existence."

Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, a lawmaker from Jamaat-e-Islami, raised objections to the amendments, arguing that they had not been provided to members in advance for scrutiny.

He suggested passing the bill in its original form and amending it later after consulting the families of martyrs and July activists.

Speaker Hafiz noted that new objections could not be entertained at that stage without written notice, which only Anisur had provided.

Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni justified the shift in leadership, explaining that since the ministry would oversee the museum’s operations and funding, it was logical for the minister to head the board.

The museum is being established at Ganabhaban, the former official residence of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, protesters stormed the building.

The interim government later decided to convert the site into a memorial.

The museum is designed to showcase the 36-day final phase of the student-led uprising alongside artefacts documenting the preceding years of "misrule".