Dhaka civil surgeon faces backlash after comparing July uprising to Liberation War, later apologises

Dhaka district Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Zillur Rahman has faced strong criticism from freedom fighters after comparing the July 2024 mass uprising to the Liberation War of 1971.

He later apologised for his remarks. 

The incident took place at a programme marking the Independence and National Day today (26 March), organised in front of the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's office, reports Bangla Tribune. 

Addressing the event, Dr Zillur said, "The independence we gained in 1971 is still incomplete, which is why the July 2024 movement took place. Just as we have honoured the freedom fighters, we will also honour the participants of the July movement."

He further added, "The two reasons for which we fought in 1971 are the same reasons for the war in 2024. We have fought again and again."

His comments sparked immediate outrage among the freedom fighters present. They stood up in protest, stating that the Liberation War and the 2024 movement cannot be compared.

The Liberation War in 1971 and the 2024 July movement did not take place for the same reasons, they said. 

Joining the protest, freedom fighter Md Nurul Islam said, "I was 21 years old during the liberation war. I am the only son of my mother. When young boys and girls were being captured and killed in the war, my mother told me, 'If you stay, they will kill you. Go and fight in the war. If you become a martyr, I will not have any regrets'."

He also said, "I went to India for guerrilla training and then fought in Sector-11 for nine months. We lived in jungles, suffered from insect bites, and had wounds all over our bodies. We barely had food. We trained at night because we couldn't move during the day due to fear of Pakistani forces. We went through immense hardship to win this country's independence. We never asked for anything in return; the state honored us as its 'greatest sons,' and we were content. 

"But when someone equates the Liberation War with the July movement, it deeply hurts us. That's why we are protesting. We fought for nine months in the war, but they only staged a movement. The quota reform protests happened due to the government's mistakes."

Apologising for his "unintentional mistake", Dr Zillur said, "I come from a family of freedom fighters. If my words have unintentionally hurt you, I sincerely apologise."

Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Tanvir Ahmed then urged everyone to calm down. As the commotion continued, a freedom fighter stepped forward to apologise on behalf of the civil surgeon and requested everyone to remain silent.