A Graffiti of the July Uprising. Photo: Collected

By Md Mamun Islam
 
RANGPUR, July 30, 2025 (BSS) - Although the curfew was relaxed for 16 hours on July 31, 2024, a strange, stagnant situation prevailed in Rangpur city, which was haunted by the fear of arrests and disappearances throughout the day.

As in the past few days, law enforcement and intelligence agencies made every effort to arrest student coordinators with the aim of forcing the withdrawal of the anti-discrimination student movement in order to protect the fascist regime.

On the other hand, student coordinators and activists of Begum Rokeya University and other educational institutions of Rangpur were organizing their next movement methods in hiding, in line with the centrally announced program to overthrow the fascist regime.

At the same time, risking their lives, some student coordinators from Begum Rokeya University came out of hiding and visited the university and other places in the city to assess the situation and plan for further movements.

In such a situation and under pressure from protesting students, the then authorities of Begum Rokeya University during the fascist regime issued a notice on July 31 requesting all concerned not to harass innocent students.

In the face of intense pressure from student coordinators from the hiding, the university authorities in the notice had to urge all concerned to ensure that no innocent student of the university was harassed.

Recalling those days, Md Rahamat Ali, a fellow fighter of martyr Abu Sayed and student coordinator of Begum Rokeya University, told BSS that the law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies of the fascist regime were desperate to suppress the student movement.

"It was very difficult for student coordinators to communicate with each other because internet services were down and the police and intelligence agencies were chasing us to arrest us and force us to announce the withdrawal of the movement to save the fascist regime," he said.

However, Rahamat Ali, wearing a mask, was roaming around the university and adjacent areas and other places amidst police and army patrols to meet other students and the public and seek their opinions on future movement strategies.

On July 31, Rahamat risked police arrest and went to the city aiming to meet with his private tutoring students and ask them and their parents' opinions on the situation in order to devise a strategic plan to force the fascist regime to resign.

"Wearing a mask, when I somehow reached the Government College Road crossing near the Cricket Garden and Metropolitan Police Office, the on-duty police stopped me there. They were asking me why I was moving in that area?" he said.

Rahamat preferred silence and was not answering anything. They were asking again and again. One of the policemen was saying that he (Rahamat) was making a drama and he should be picked up for interrogation. 

"Guessing the situation and without putting off the mask, I replied that I was going to visit my ailing paternal aunt living in the nearby area. The policemen didn't say anything more. I left the place," Rahamat said.

"If the police had asked me to take off my mask, they would have immediately identified me as the student coordinator of Begum Rokeya University and arrested me without saying a word," Rahamat commented.

Expressing gratitude to Almighty Allah, Rahmat then went to Radha Ballabh area and then to the RDRS office premises and went to the house of his private tuition student in the Pasharipara area of the city.

"When I asked my intermediate level student about the current situation and our possible future role in the movement, he immediately opined that we should move forward with the sole demand of the fascist regime's resignation," Rahamat said.

Later, Rahamat's student's parents also unequivocally supported their son's views and advised all student coordinators, struggling students, and the people of the country to start a movement with the sole demand of fascist Hasina's resignation.

Shamsur Rahman Suman, another leading student coordinator at Begum Rokeya University and a fellow fighter of martyr Abu Sayed, said that it was very difficult for student coordinators and organizers to maintain contact with each other in those days.

The fascist regime, its all organs and the terrorists of the Awami League and its allied organizations created a reign of terror in Rangpur city by threatening mass arrests and enforced disappearances of revolutionary students and the public.
 
"July 31 was a similar day when it was very difficult to go out and organize students. Risking our lives, we, the coordinators and the frontline fighters of July, made it possible to strengthen the movement to overthrow the fascist regime in the near future," he said.