Sirajganj, Aug 01 (V7N) – BNP Standing Committee member and former minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has said that 16 years of misrule by a "fallen fascist regime" devastated the country, but the mass uprising of students and the people in July-August brought about liberation and saved even Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s life.

He made these remarks while inaugurating the Shaheed Sohanur Rahman Ranju Memorial Monument in Masumpur village of Sirajganj Municipality on Friday afternoon. The event was organized by the District BNP in memory of Ranju and the martyrs of the July-August movement.

Tuku said, “The country had become a scorched earth due to fascist misrule. But the struggle never stopped. The sacrifices of the martyrs in the July-August uprising will remain a source of inspiration for building the future of Bangladesh.”

Referring to the grief of the families, he added, “The void left by a child who is lost can never be filled. No amount of support can replace the love and affection of a father or a brother.”

He warned that the now-defunct and banned Awami League is still attempting to destabilize the nation. “The people of Bangladesh must remain alert so that those who destroyed the country cannot return to power,” he said.

The program was attended by numerous BNP leaders and activists, including BNP Central Executive Committee member and District General Secretary Saidur Rahman Bachchu, Vice President Nazmul Hasan Talukder Rana, Jahangir Hossain Bhuiyan Selim, Senior Joint General Secretary Md. Shamim Khan, Joint General Secretary Harun Or Rashid Khan Hasan, Mostafa Noman Alal, Munshi Zahid Alam, and others. Members of Shaheed Ranju’s family were also present.

Background:
On August 4 last year, Sohanur Rahman Khan Ranju, Deputy General Secretary of Sirajganj District Jubo Dal, was brutally shot and hacked to death in front of the local Awami League office. According to BNP, this attack was carried out by armed Awami League activists. The incident sparked an uprising in Sirajganj, where 14 people, including Ranju, Latif, and Sumon, were martyred. That day, the district was said to have been "liberated from fascist control" through the bloodshed of the martyrs.

END/RH/AJ