Memorial to be built at Shapla Chattar to honour Hefazat martyrs: Asif Mahmud

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan today (18 October) said a memorial will be built at Shapla Chattar in the capital to honour those killed during Hefazat‑e‑Islam's demonstration on 5 May 2013, so that the people of Bangladesh remember them for generations.

He made the announcement while addressing a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, where financial grants were distributed among the families of 58 people killed in the 2013 incident and 19 others who died during the anti‑Modi protest in 2021.

At the event, cheques of Tk 10 lakh each were handed over to the families of those killed in both incidents.

The adviser said: "The anti‑fascist movement in Bangladesh began with Hefazat‑e‑Islam's protest on 5 May 2013. The then government thought that by killing innocent Hefazat activists, Islam could be erased from this country and people's protest against oppression could be silenced. But today's event proves that tyranny never lasts."

He said the mass movement of 2013 laid the groundwork for the anti‑fascist uprising of 2024, which ultimately forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee amid the student‑public protests.

Recalling his memories of the 2013 incident, he said: "I was around 15 years old, a ninth‑grader. I watched on television as hundreds of thousands joined the protest that night. But the nation was denied the truth then. Today, that truth has been revealed again."

The adviser said a permanent monument bearing the names of those killed on 5 May 2013 would be constructed at Shapla Chattar, "so that the people of Bangladesh always remember the martyrs, and the movement remains an inspiration for future generations."

Addressing the event, Religious Affairs Adviser Dr A.F.M. Khaled Hossain called the day "historic," saying the Awami League government of the time had brutally attacked Hefazat activists at Shapla Chattar to suppress the movement, but failed.

He urged Hefazat‑e‑Islam leaders to prepare a complete list of those killed and injured, assuring full ministry support.

"The security forces — police, RAB, and BGB — numbering more than 7,000 attacked the Hefazat activists that night and fired around 150,000 rounds. Yet the incident could not be erased from history, nor will anyone escape accountability if such things happen again," Dr Hossain said.

He added that the July uprising of 2024 was built on the foundation of the 2013 tragedy, saying: "The blood of the martyrs can never be wiped from history, and today's event is living proof of that truth."

Chaired by Local Government Secretary Rezaul Maksud Zahidi, the programme was also addressed by Hefazat‑e‑Islam Ameer Maulana Muhibullah Babunagari, Secretary General Maulana Majedur Rahman, Jamaat‑e‑Islami Central Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar, Khelafat‑e‑Islam leader Maulana Mamunul Haque, and Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur.

Hefazat Ameer Maulana Muhibullah Babunagari expressed his gratitude to Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan for extending financial assistance to the families of the martyrs.

"The participation of millions in the Hefazat movement proved that no government in Bangladesh can act against Islam. The devout people of this country will never support anti‑Islamic activities, and future governments must also refrain from such actions," he said.