Saturday, 12 July, 2025
Several protesters injured during the mass uprising stormed the office of the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Tuesday, reportedly in frustration over delays in receiving the second phase of financial assistance.
A video of the incident, lasting just over two minutes, has gone viral online. It shows a group of young men shouting abuse at office staff. One protester is heard yelling, “Open the lock, open the lock, give me that stick,” while kicking at a door as others try to restrain him. Another man is seen striking the door with a crutch, while one individual lifts a chair in an apparent attempt to attack someone. Voices off-camera can be heard shouting: “Our lives are over,” and “Your CEO will throw us out by force?”
Speaking to bdnews24.com, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Kamal Akbar confirmed that the protesters were agitated over the delay in disbursing the second round of financial support, attributing it to a shortage of funds.
“Those who were severely injured and hospitalised have been requesting the next round of aid for some time,” he said. “But due to limited funds, we have been unable to proceed.”
Kamal said the foundation received Tk 1 billion from the Chief Advisor’s fund, Tk 50 million from Bangladesh Bank, and a further Tk 50 million from private donations.
“From these funds, we provided Tk 500,000 each to 805 families of martyrs and supported nearly 6,500 injured individuals,” he explained. “With the remaining amount, we are unable to include new recipients. Any alternative arrangement risks causing dissatisfaction.”
He added that the foundation has prepared a priority list to distribute aid to the most vulnerable.
“We are focusing on those who are critically ill, hospitalised, or financially dependent on others. However, this process takes time, which has caused frustration among many injured protesters,” he said.
“We had committed to a timeline but failed to meet it. On Tuesday, I asked for three more days to ensure accuracy. Their anger is understandable given what they’ve endured,” Kamal noted.
The July Martyrs Memorial Foundation was established on 10 September 2024 to provide support to those killed or injured during the student-led uprising. The Foundation is chaired by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
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Several protesters injured during the mass uprising stormed the office of the July Martyrs Memorial Foundation in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Tuesday, reportedly in frustration over delays in receiving the second phase of financial assistance.
A video of the incident, lasting just over two minutes, has gone viral online. It shows a group of young men shouting abuse at office staff. One protester is heard yelling, “Open the lock, open the lock, give me that stick,” while kicking at a door as others try to restrain him. Another man is seen striking the door with a crutch, while one individual lifts a chair in an apparent attempt to attack someone. Voices off-camera can be heard shouting: “Our lives are over,” and “Your CEO will throw us out by force?”
Speaking to bdnews24.com, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Kamal Akbar confirmed that the protesters were agitated over the delay in disbursing the second round of financial support, attributing it to a shortage of funds.
“Those who were severely injured and hospitalised have been requesting the next round of aid for some time,” he said. “But due to limited funds, we have been unable to proceed.”
Kamal said the foundation received Tk 1 billion from the Chief Advisor’s fund, Tk 50 million from Bangladesh Bank, and a further Tk 50 million from private donations.
“From these funds, we provided Tk 500,000 each to 805 families of martyrs and supported nearly 6,500 injured individuals,” he explained. “With the remaining amount, we are unable to include new recipients. Any alternative arrangement risks causing dissatisfaction.”
He added that the foundation has prepared a priority list to distribute aid to the most vulnerable.
“We are focusing on those who are critically ill, hospitalised, or financially dependent on others. However, this process takes time, which has caused frustration among many injured protesters,” he said.
“We had committed to a timeline but failed to meet it. On Tuesday, I asked for three more days to ensure accuracy. Their anger is understandable given what they’ve endured,” Kamal noted.
The July Martyrs Memorial Foundation was established on 10 September 2024 to provide support to those killed or injured during the student-led uprising. The Foundation is chaired by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.
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