By Poliar Wahid

Dhaka, Aug 9, 2025 (BSS) - Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz, a teenager who endured imprisonment, is a fighter of the 2024 July Uprising. On the night of July 24, law enforcers picked him up from Matuail and transferred him to the Detective Branch (DB) office three days later. There, he was brutally tortured for refusing to give false testimony. 

At just 17 years old, this brave young man was brought to court with his hands tied in rope. When the court granted his remand, outrage erupted across the nation. Amid the protests, the remand was revoked, and he was sent to the Juvenile Correction Center in Gazipur.

Politically aware, Faiyaz is ready to take to the streets for truth and justice at any moment. 

"Standing on the streets, I realized those who were part of the movement were tireless. They had taken a firm stand to face all obstacles with courage," he said.

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz was born on April 19, 2007, in Noakhali. He is the courageous son of Amirul Islam and Kamrun Nahar. Faiyaz is a second-year higher secondary student in the Science stream at Dhaka College.

In an exclusive interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz shared his story during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in 2024.

BSS: You're a twelfth-grade student. First, can you tell us why you took part in the quota reform movement?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: We had just finished our SSC exams and had recently gotten admitted to college. On the night of July 16, I saw on social media that six students had been martyred during the quota reform movement, organized by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. It felt unbelievable.

But when I saw a video on my newsfeed of Abu Sayeed bhai being martyred on the spot, I was horrified. My skin crawled. I cried for a long time afterward. It was unbearable for any normal human being to watch. After that, my friends and I collectively decided to join the movement against this injustice.

BSS: One year has passed since the July Uprising. How vividly do you remember those days?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: Thinking back to those days, I'm deeply moved by some realizations from that time. Standing on the streets, I saw firsthand that the people in this movement were relentless. They brushed off every obstacle. Everyone had a strong, determined mindset. Even in the scorching midday sun, their slogans never ceased. Despite being drenched in sweat, they never seemed tired. Even in the face of tear gas shells, they didn't back down.

During the movement, when we were stationed in Matuail under Jatrabari Thana, days went by in waves of chase and counter-chase. Injured students were brought off the streets regularly. Some were in very bad condition. I had never seen people in such a bloodied state before. At one point, right in front of me, I saw someone die. His lifeless body lay on the road. 

Someone was holding up his shirt to show everyone -- a bullet hole in the middle, stained with blood. It all felt surreal to me. But still, I couldn't think of leaving. I couldn't bear the thought of abandoning my brothers. These memories keep coming back to me again and again.

BSS: You were arrested at just 17 years of age. Yet, they tied you up with rope and brought you to court, which sparked a nationwide outcry. Can you tell us about that experience?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: Every day, I would go to the movement site on my bicycle, and I came under the watch of some local informants. They figured out that I was actively involved in the protests. I later learned that they prepared a list of participants and included my name. During the tense period of the movement, my friends and I were distributing water and food to the frontline brothers at the protest spot. They listed us as "collaborators" for this. Also, I often chanted slogans to energize everyone. Because of all this, I became one of their targets.

Due to my name being on the list created by the local Awami informants, police came to my house on the night of July 24 and arrested me. Before that, they had searched every flat in a nearby building to find me.

After arresting me, they took me to a place in Rayerbagh and used my phone to try to make me call my friends, teachers, and the key activists in that area -- Rashed Bhai, Masroor Bhai, and Asif Bhai -- to get them caught. But I refused. That made them extremely angry.

At the police station, the torture began. It was around midnight. They forced me to give false testimony in a case to point out some people and say, "Yes, they were involved." I told them, "Why should I testify to something I didn't see or do?" That's when they began brutally torturing me.

They pinned me to the floor and started beating the soles of my feet with sticks. Gradually, they began hitting me hard all over from my waist down to my legs. I was in utter shock from the torture. The pain was unbearable. But still, not once did I agree to their demand for false testimony. I endured it all.

BSS: How many days were you in custody?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: I was forcibly disappeared for three days after my arrest. Later, I was sent from the police station to the Detective Branch (DB). There, I was kept in a room -- one of three -- where about 127 people were crammed in, most of them protestors. Even leaders from various political parties were held there.

At the DB, I saw people praying that they would be sent to jail. At first, I didn't understand why. But soon I realized that most people brought there are forcibly disappeared. That's why they were praying so fervently to be transferred to jail.

One of my college seniors approached me after seeing me there. Though we had never met before, he asked everything about me. Seeing my condition, he was clearly moved and took care of me. But I later saw that his toes had been broken from torture.

After two days at the DB, I was produced in court, and they gave me a seven-day remand. Still, I tried to stay brave, holding firm in my faith in Allah.

The next day, I heard that due to public outrage, my remand had been canceled and an order was issued to send me to the Juvenile Correction Centre in Gazipur. Life in that center was a completely different experience. I spent every moment there praying to Allah, begging Him for deliverance. And then, one day a new dawn came. The very sunrise the entire nation had been waiting for.

When I was first brought into the prison cell, an Ansar guard said to me, "What was the need to get into this movement? You've destroyed your life for nothing. Your life is over now."
I just smiled at him.

That night in jail, I lay on my back and stared up at the sky. A strange peace swept over me. It was something very unique, something I'll never forget.

BSS: How did the teachers and students of your institution participate in the movement?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: They were supportive. Our teachers helped us. They would buy water and biscuits for the protestors. After my arrest, students from my institution -- Shamsul Haque Khan School and College -- jumped into the movement in full force. Even though there was pressure on them to stay away, they intensified the protest in the Jatrabari area.

BSS: Could you share a personal memory from the July Uprising that you've never told anyone before?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: One memory stands out. During the torture, I saw someone there whom I had given water to during the protests, thinking he was one of us. But in that moment, I realized he was actually an informant.

BSS: On which exact date did you first join the protests, and where?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: On July 17, right near my house in Matuail. The day after Abu Sayeed was martyred, I took to the streets.

BSS: When and how did you first hear the news on August 5 that Hasina had fled? What was that moment like for you?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: I was still in custody. In the Juvenile Correction Centre, we saw the footage on TV -- Hasina fleeing. I can't put the feeling into words. We were expecting to hear a speech from the army chief -- never did I imagine the killer would escape. But justice must still be served so that no one, ever again, dares to take even one life like this.

BSS: How did the attacks by law enforcers or student league on protestors affect ordinary students?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: It had a powerful impact. It was one of the main reasons for the massive student participation in the movement and ultimately the downfall of the dictatorship. The police who fired live rounds and killed people -- they must be arrested and brought to justice.

BSS: Female students played a vital and unique role in this uprising. Would you like to say something about that?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: I saw my female classmates play a crucial role. Their contribution was indescribable. On the streets, they were our shields.

BSS: Is there any particular day from the July Uprising that still stirs your heart?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: Every single day of that movement deeply stirs my heart.

BSS: How much of the dream and aspiration behind the July Uprising has been realized? And what are your hopes for the new Bangladesh?

Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz: Some of it has been realized, some hasn't yet. But we remain hopeful that our dreams and aspirations will be fulfilled. My hope is that the people of this country grow up to be honest, capable, and ideal patriots. That Bangladesh will become a society based on justice and fairness -- that is my dream.