The streets of the capital have been writhing in heat since morning. The entire country, including Dhaka, is practically at a standstill due to the 'complete shutdown' program of the anti-discrimination student movement.
Roads and highways are blocked, train communication is disrupted, and the sound of gunfire and sound grenades is intermittent in the sky of Dhaka.
Numerous protesting students and people have taken to the streets with processions and slogans.
In such a situation, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman stood with the agitators in Uttara, Azampur of the capital. A video recorded at that time, later spread on social media, showed him calling his comrades with a case of water in his hand, his eyes were burning from the smoke of the tear gas.
Just fifteen minutes later, Mugdho fell to the ground at one fell swoop.
A bullet fired by government forces hit him in the forehead. The mineral water bottles in his hand fell out of the case onto the road, covered in his blood. Even though his friends set off for the hospital, Mugdho's heartbeat stopped before they reached it. The avenue of Azampur, Uttara, was flooded with blood.
His Facebook bio read, "May life be meaningful, not long."
Mir Mugdho remains forever remembered, outgrowing the short span of his life.
On the same day, Farhan Faiyaz (17), an 11th standard student of Residential Model College, lost his life in police firing in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. His Facebook bio in English read, "One day you will have to leave this world. Build a life that people will remember you after death." Farhan's dream of building that life ended before he turned eighteen. A bullet took away everything his life could yield. Farhanul Islam Bhuiyan, leaving his mother Farhana Diba's lap empty, signed in the martyr's book.
Thus, a procession of death spread across the country, including the capital, Dhaka, that day. In an attack by the law enforcement agencies to sustain Hasina's illegal government, 31 fresh lives were lost.
Of these, 24 people were killed in the capital Dhaka, two each in Chittagong and Narsingdi, and one each in Rangpur, Savar, and Madaripur. About 1500 people were injured.
Due to the intensity of the movement that day, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police banned meetings and gatherings in the capital. 229 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), meant to protect the border, were deployed across the country.
Ignoring these obstacles, the students and the public continued to blockade important roads and areas, including the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, for a long time. As a result, massive clashes broke out between the July fighters and the government forces in various areas of the capital, including Uttara, Merul Badda, Rampura, Malibagh, Dhanmondi, Mirpur-10, Nilkhet, Azimpur, Tejgaon, Shantinagar, Mohakhali, Shanir Akhra, Kajla and Jatrabari.
The government forces fired bullets, tearshell, tear gas and sound grenades to stop these movements and blockades. The number of casualties gradually rose. But the students and the public did not retreat, rather organised themselves and continued the movement again and again.
At one stage, an arson incident occurred at the Uttara-East police station. As a result, tension spread throughout the area. At one point, some police officers were chased by the students and the public in Merul Badda and took shelter in the Canadian University campus with weapons. They were rescued by a helicopter later in the afternoon.
In addition, arson incidents occurred at the Disaster Management Department and the Bridge Building in Mohakhali. The arson attack on the BTV building in Rampura resulted in the government's unilateral broadcasting being stopped. When the agitated students set fire to the police box in Mirpur-10, the government stopped the metro rail service. In addition, the entire area was paralysed by the fire at the Uttara-East police station. In this way, the long-suppressed anger of the people began to pour out on the institutions that had become the government's exploitation machines.
However, the intensity of the movement was not concentrated only in Dhaka. The long-term misrule of the Hasina government and the July massacres angered students all over the country. There were reports of clashes between government forces and students in 47 districts of the country, including Chittagong, Narsingdi, Rangpur, Savar, and Madaripur.
In addition, the communication system completely collapsed due to the blockade of various roads and highways in the country. Important roads were blocked in Jashore, Rajbari, Jhalokati, Gazipur, Brahmanbaria, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Panchagarh, Cox's Bazar, Rangamati and Lakshmipur.
To deal with the situation, the government offered to hold talks with the July fighters.
Law Minister Anisul Huq said at a press conference that the Prime Minister had given him and the Education Minister the responsibility for the talks. But Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, one of the key coordinators of the movement, was steadfast in his resolve when he said, "There is no dialogue with bullets."
"My death is better than being dishonest with blood." Nahid Islam, another key coordinator of the movement, also rejected the government's offer of dialogue with the same gusto and announced that the movement would continue.
He announced that the 'shutdown' would continue across the country the next day, Friday, and that a funeral would be held after Friday prayers.
That evening, the hearing date for the government's appeal seeking a stay on the High Court's verdict against the cancellation of quotas in government jobs was set for July 21 (Sunday). On the government's orders, the internet was completely shut down across the country from 9 pm. The announcement came that internet services would be suspended until the situation calmed down. The then State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, argued that the internet was shut down in response to the situation. Not only the internet, but also rail connections between Dhaka and other districts of the country were suspended.
On the other hand, more than a hundred Chhatra League leaders and activists from various districts, including Dhaka University, resigned. Concerns were also expressed about the situation in Bangladesh by international circles. The United Nations called on the Bangladesh government to respect the right to peaceful protest.
The ministers of the then government made speeches blaming the opposition political forces for the violence that day. Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader claimed that the BNP-Jamaat's trained cadre forces carried out this violence across the country and that some people had to lose their lives as a result of their incitement.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud also complained in the same tone that the BNP-Jamaat has hijacked the movement by putting pressure on the shoulders of the protesting students.
The government supported the strict stance of the law enforcement agencies and said that strong steps have been taken in the interest of maintaining the stability of the state and the safety of the people.
Thus, the horrific memory of July 18 became a painful chapter in the history of Bangladesh. This wound may remain forever in the hearts of the families and friends of the youth who lost their lives, including Mugdho and Farhan.
Comments