Several women who participated in the July Mass Uprising made these comments while attending the July Women’s Assembly 2026 at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in Kakrail, Dhaka yesterday, Tuesday, evening.
Jatiya Nari Shakti, the women’s wing of the National Civic Party (NCP), organized the event as part of the NCP’s month-long program to mark the second anniversary of the mass revolt in July.
The mass uprising in July culminated in the fall of the then Awami League government on 5 August 2024. During the initial phase of the movement, on 14 July, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (now sentenced to death by the International Criminal Tribunal) made derogatory remarks on students protesting for quota reforms.
That night, female students along with male hall students broke the locks of five women’s halls at Dhaka University, and gathered at the feet of the Raju Memorial Sculpture.
The next day, members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (now banned) attacked both male and female students at the university’s VC Chattar. These two incidents marked a turning point in the movement.