The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has issued new guidelines stipulating that the one-time grant and monthly allowance provided to the families of the martyrs of the July mass uprising shall be distributed equally in three parts among the spouse, children, and parents.
This distribution method has been established by the government in response to conflicts arising within many martyr families between husbands and wives, children, and parents over the government assistance.
To resolve these issues, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has promulgated the “Welfare and Rehabilitation Rules, 2025.”
Officials from the ministry reported that conflicts among family members over the assistance have become common, burdening the advisers, secretaries, and concerned officials of the ministry with mediation. They noted that disputes among the heirs of the martyrs are not only disrupting the assistance process but also causing delays.
In this context, the ministry began distributing the one-time assistance money among family members according to their respective religious inheritance laws. However, many family members did not accept this. Questions were raised as to why the grant and allowance money, which is not an asset inherited through succession, should be distributed according to religious inheritance laws. Given this situation, the ministry decided to formalize the distribution method through regulations.
The government has recognized those killed in the July mass uprising as “July Martyrs” and the injured as “July Fighters.” Officially, the government is providing July martyr families with savings certificates worth 30 lakh taka. In the last fiscal year (2024-2025), savings certificates worth 10 lakh taka were provided. The remaining 20 lakh taka in savings certificates will be provided in the current (2025-2026) fiscal year. The government announced that from last July, martyr families would receive a monthly allowance of 20,000 taka. So far, gazettes for 844 martyrs have been published, though eight were later revoked.
At the advisory council meeting on August 7, the issue of conflicts within martyr families over government assistance was discussed. The meeting instructed that guidelines be formulated on this matter.
In a briefing after the meeting, the Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiul Alam, told journalists “We are seeing conflicts within the families of July martyrs over the honorarium being provided. They are disputing who will receive the money. For this, a rule will be established specifying how much each will receive. You will know about this within a week.”
Regarding this, the Director General of the July mass uprising directorate, Md Mashiur Rahman, told UNB, “The guidelines specify how the assistance money will be distributed among the family members of the martyrs. We will try to adjust the distribution of the first installment of the grant according to the guidelines. The larger portion of the grant will be distributed in the current fiscal year; it will be done according to the guidelines. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs is handling this distribution.”
He added, “With the issuance of the new guidelines, we now have a framework for assisting and rehabilitating July martyr families and fighters. Initially, in the absence of any rules, we started providing assistance to martyr families according to religious inheritance laws. Now, assistance activities will proceed according to the guidelines.”
How the money will be distributed
The guidelines state that the financial assistance provided by the government to the families of the July uprising martyrs must be distributed in three equal parts among the martyr’s spouse, unborn children, and mother and father.
The martyr’s spouse will receive one-third of the financial assistance. However, if there are multiple spouses, the financial assistance will be distributed equally among them.
The martyr’s unborn children will also receive one-third of the financial assistance. If there are multiple children, the financial assistance will be distributed equally among them.
The guidelines state that the martyr’s parents will receive one-third of the financial assistance. The assistance allocated to the mother and father must be distributed equally. If one of the parents is deceased, the other will receive the combined share, i.e., one-third of the financial assistance.
However, if the martyr has no spouse, the portion designated for the spouse will be divided equally between the martyr’s children and parents.
If there are no children, the children’s share will be divided equally between the spouse and parents. If there are no parents, the parents’ share will be divided equally between the spouse and children.
Additionally, if an unmarried person is martyred, the financial assistance provided for them will be divided equally between their parents. However, if one of the parents is deceased, the other will receive the entire financial assistance, as per the guidelines.
Allowance discontinued if recipient dies
The guidelines state that if any member of a July uprising martyr family receiving the monthly allowance dies, the allowance will cease from the date of death. No other family member can claim this allowance thereafter.
If the martyr’s spouse remarries, their monthly grant or allowance portion will cease from the date of marriage. No other family member will receive this allowance.
If a July fighter dies before receiving the one-time assistance, it must be divided into three parts among the family members. The same rules as for martyr families will apply in this case. Additionally, if a July fighter dies, their monthly allowance portion will cease, as per the guidelines.
Treated as ‘martyr’ if dies during treatment
The guidelines state that if any July fighter dies while continuously receiving treatment at home or abroad for one or more physical injuries sustained during the uprising, they will be considered a martyr of the July mass uprising, and their family will receive benefits accordingly.
In such cases, family members will be entitled to receive family savings certificates equivalent to 30 lakh taka. However, if the deceased had already received one-time financial assistance as an injured fighter, that portion will be deducted. Additionally, their family will receive a monthly allowance of 20,000 taka, like other martyr families.
How to receive treatment
All government hospitals, medical college hospitals, government clinics or health centers, and government-designated specialized hospitals will provide free medical services to all classes of injured July fighters on a priority basis.
No written application is required to receive medical assistance. However, to receive services, a photocopy signed by the July fighter must be submitted upon showing the original health ID card issued by the health services division.
Three committees for welfare and rehabilitation:
The guidelines state that three committees will be formed for the welfare and rehabilitation of July mass uprising martyr families and July fighters: a central committee, district committees, and upazila committees.
The central committee will be chaired by the Minister or Adviser of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, district committees by the Deputy Commissioner (DC), and upazila committees by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). The guidelines outline the composition and functions of these three committees.
Application of rules for rehabilitation
The monitoring and evaluation of plans or projects adopted for the rehabilitation of martyr families and July fighters must be determined by the rules. However, until such rules are formulated, monitoring and evaluation can be conducted according to existing rules and procedures.
For rehabilitation, the July mass uprising directorate will provide training in information and communication technology; electrical and electronics; digital marketing, IT support services, graphics design, and web design and development; freelancing, mobile servicing, application development, mechanical and automotive fields; driving, modern office management, construction and engineering; food and hospitality; beautification arts and crafts; textiles; agriculture, nursery, livestock, fish hatcheries and fish farming, and poultry farming.
The guidelines also state that the directorate may take initiatives to provide loans or similar facilities on easy terms for income-generating work or self-employment.
Arbitration board for dispute resolution
The guidelines state that if any dispute arises among family members of July uprising martyrs regarding financial assistance or rehabilitation, an arbitration board will be formed to resolve it. The arbitration board will consist of the concerned family members involved in the dispute, a representative of at least assistant director rank nominated by the Director General of the Mass Uprising Directorate, and one arbitrator nominated jointly by both parties.
The guidelines state that if any person is aggrieved by the decision of the arbitration board, they may appeal to the Director General of the directorate within 30 days. In such cases, the Director General’s decision will be considered final.