Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar stated that “The message being conveyed by Mir Mugdho Moncho, that ‘July will remain’, serves as a reminder that authoritarian and fascist systems of governance cannot endure in Bangladesh.”
She made these remarks on Monday as the chief guest during the inauguration of “Mugdho Moncho” (Mugdho Platform), a memorial platform built at Rabindra Sarobar in Uttara Sector 3 by Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to honour the martyr Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho of the July mass uprising.
The adviser noted that, for the past 15-17 years, people were unable to speak freely. “But this does not mean they will remain silent forever or that rulers can stay in power unquestioned. This platform symbolises that resistance,” she said.
Paying deep respect to the martyrs’ parents, Farida Akhtar said, “We stand by the demands you have raised. We want a Bangladesh where no mother’s arms will be left empty, and no father will have to carry his child’s lifeless body.”
“We will protest and resist, but we do not want a police force that fires bullets into our chests,” she added, referencing the 2018 road safety protests. “Back then, students said the state needed repair. In July 2024, students and citizens proved it again. That’s why I say: The state must be reformed, and this process must continue.”
The event, chaired by DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz, was also addressed by Assistant Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, NCP Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr Tasnim Zara, DNCC CEO Md Asaduzzaman, mother of martyr Naima Sultana, father of martyr Jabir, and injured July warrior Abdul Aziz.
The program was hosted by Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdho, brother of martyr Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho.