Photo: BSS

KHULNA, July 3, 2025 (BSS) – Khulna University (KU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Rezaul Karim today said youth must stay united to rebuild a new nation.

“We reclaimed our freedom of speech through the July Uprising. During the past 17 years, we couldn’t express our opinions, emotions, or feelings. The historic uprising of students and people has given us back our beloved motherland in a new form. We pray for the forgiveness of the martyrs’ souls and the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said while speaking as chief guest at a discussion on the United Nations (UN) probe report at the KU’s Liakat Ali Auditorium. 

Organized by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), Professor Dr. Md. Nazmus Sadat, Director of Student Affairs, Prof Punam Chakraborty, Head of the Law Discipline, Assistant Professor Abul Bashar of History and Civilization Discipline and lecturer Irene Azhar Urmi from the Development Studies Discipline, addressed the event as special guests.

The VC said, “The young generation knows how to resist oppression and injustice. They know how to speak out, even in the face of threats. The country we now see before us must be rebuilt a new”. 

The VC also said that initiatives have already been taken to honor the memory of Khulna University student and July Uprising martyr Mir Mughda and the university’s main gate has been renamed after him. 

Future plans include transforming the structure adjacent to the main gate into a memorial monument for the martyrs of 1952, 1971, and 2024. The site will also feature graffiti related to the July Uprising, he added.

Mohammad Zahid Hossain, a human rights officer at the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, presented the core findings of the UN Fact-Finding Mission. The event began with a welcome speech by HRSS Executive Director Ijazul Islam. From the families of the martyrs, Mohammad Babu, brother of martyr Yaseen, shared his thoughts.

First hand experiences and the background of the uprising were shared by active participants of the July movement, including Al Shahriar from KU’s Law Discipline, Ayman Ahad from English Discipline, Abdullah Al Shafil from Northern University of Business and Technology Department, and entrepreneur Snigdha Sultana Munni.

Student representatives Mosammat Jarin Tasnim Swarna from Agrotechnology Discipline and Arpita  from Mass Communication and Journalism Discipline of KU, also spoke.

Faculty members, students, and guests from various disciplines of the university were present at the event.