Dhaka: Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan announced a plan to build a memorial at Shapla Chattar in the capital to honor those who were killed during Hefazat-e-Islam’s demonstration on May 5, 2013. This initiative aims to ensure that the people of Bangladesh remember these individuals for generations.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the announcement was made during a program at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, where financial grants were distributed among the families of 58 people killed in the 2013 incident and 19 others who died during the anti-Modi protest in 2021. Cheques of Tk 10 lakh each were provided to the families of those killed in both incidents.
Adviser Asif Mahmud stated that the anti-fascist movement in Bangladesh began with Hefazat-e-Islam’s protest on May 5, 2013. He mentioned that the then-government believed they could erase Islam from the country and silence public protest by killing Hefazat activists. However, he asserted that today’s event proves that tyranny does not last.
He further emphasized that the mass movement of 2013 laid the groundwork for the anti-fascist uprising of 2024, which ultimately led to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing amid student-public protests. Recalling his memories of the 2013 incident, he expressed that the truth, denied at the time, has now been revealed again.
The adviser confirmed that a permanent monument bearing the names of those killed on May 5, 2013, would be constructed at Shapla Chattar, to serve as a lasting reminder of the martyrs and as inspiration for future generations.
Religious Affairs Adviser Dr. A.F.M. Khaled Hossain also spoke at the event, describing the day as historic. He claimed that the Awami League government had brutally attacked Hefazat activists at Shapla Chattar in an attempt to suppress the movement but failed. He urged Hefazat-e-Islam leaders to compile a complete list of those killed and injured, assuring full ministry support.
Dr. Hossain stated that security forces attacked the Hefazat activists that night, firing around 150,000 rounds, but the incident remains in history, and accountability will be sought for similar actions in the future. He noted that the July uprising of 2024 was built on the foundation of the 2013 tragedy, asserting that the martyrs’ blood can never be forgotten.
The event, chaired by Local Government Secretary Rezaul Maksud Zahidi, was also addressed by several leaders, including Hefazat-e-Islam Ameer Maulana Muhibullah Babunagari and others. Maulana Babunagari expressed gratitude to Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan for the financial assistance provided to the martyrs’ families. He remarked that the participation in the Hefazat movement demonstrated that no government in Bangladesh could act against Islam and urged future governments to refrain from anti-Islamic actions.