Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Condemns Attack on ‘July Warriors’ as Betrayal Under the Name of ‘National Unity’

On Friday, in a joint statement, the central president Rifat Rashid and general secretary Hasan Inam of the movement expressed these views.

The statement noted, “Before the charter signing ceremony, during the first half of the day, law enforcement forces attacked the July Warriors who were protesting under the banner of ‘July Martyred Families and Injured Warriors,’ leaving 27 people seriously injured. Among them, Atikul Gazi, a July Warrior from 2024, was also injured.”

Additionally, allegations of misconduct toward the July Warriors by members of the National Consensus Commission have been raised. The movement called the attack reprehensible and demanded justice.

The leaders of the movement said, “Through the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs and injured warriors during the 1990 mass uprising, we achieved a fascism-free Bangladesh. It is in this spirit that today’s July Charter was signed. However, attacking the uprising warriors before the signing constitutes betrayal and a failure of the caretaker government.”

The organization claimed that members of martyr families, injured warriors, and student representatives were not properly included in the event. “Forcing some political parties to sign the charter while ignoring key July stakeholders under the name of ‘National Unity’ is a major betrayal of the student and citizen community,” the statement added.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement urged the caretaker government to immediately ensure discussions with the martyr families, injured warriors, and student representatives to resolve issues regarding the legal validity of the July Charter and the ‘Note of Dissent.’