A year since Hasina’s fall, Bangladesh celebrates freedom
The atmosphere was electrifying. People screamed, shouted and balloons soared overhead as the crowd counted down the exact minute Hasina took off in a military helicopter
As the clock ticked towards 2:25pm on 5 August 2025, thousands gathered along Manik Mia Avenue in front of the National Parliament to mark the first anniversary of the fall of the Hasina regime.
Exactly one year ago, in the face of the massive July Uprising, Hasina resigned and fled to India, a moment now etched deeply into the nation's collective memory.
The atmosphere was electrifying. People screamed, shouted and balloons soared overhead as the crowd counted down the exact minute Hasina took off in a military helicopter. The skies were rainy, mirroring the monsoon downpour during last year's uprising — also called the Monsoon Revolution — a day soaked in rain and blood but now remembered with euphoric joy.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
But on the same day a year later, the mood was different; it was a celebration of freedom, a collective relief and renewed hope.
Vendors like Monira Begum were selling flags by the roadside. While many types of flags were available, nothing matched the pride of the Bangladesh flag, she said.
Thousands, braving the rain, came with their families — daughters and sons waving flags, faces painted, hearts full of hope.
At precisely 2:25pm, a familiar chant erupted from the stage and rippled through the crowd, "Palaise re palaise, Sheikh Hasina palaise [She has fled, she has fled, Sheikh Hasina has fled]!" This slogan, first chanted in 2024 when news broke of Hasina's escape, had now turned into a celebratory anthem, electrifying the crowd like nothing else.
Among those chanting was Shagor from Shyamoli, who said the feeling was unmatched. "This is the day we got our freedom back from a repressive regime," he said. "We will remain free. No matter how strong the ruler, we will rise and defeat all fascism and autocracy. No one like Hasina will stand before us again."
Beside him was Rafiq from Narayanganj, who had traveled a long distance to be part of the celebration. "This is an expression of our unity," he said. "If the threat of the fallen regime ever returns, I will stand with the people again, just like in 2024."
The commemoration was marked by a striking visual: dozens of balloons shaped like the military helicopter Sheikh Hasina had fled on were released into the sky. The organisers said the balloons were meant to symbolise her cowardly flight, turning a dark moment into one of triumph. The crowd erupted with excitement, their cheers blending with the misty monsoon air.
"This is the day we got our freedom back from a repressive regime. We will remain free. No matter how strong the ruler, we will rise and defeat all fascism and autocracy. No one like Hasina will stand before us again."
However, the celebration was briefly interrupted when some of the colourful smoke bombs released nearby accidentally set one of the balloons on fire. The burning balloon became entangled in an overhead electrical wire, causing sparks and panic among the crowd. But volunteers quickly doused the fire, and the disturbance lasted only a few minutes before the festivities resumed undeterred.
Music was a cornerstone of the day's celebration. The up-and-coming hip-hop band Chittagong Hip-Hop Hood took the stage, performing songs that had become the soundtrack of the uprising. Their song, replicating the popular slogan "We Wanted Our Rights But We Became Rajakar", was a direct response to Sheikh Hasina's notorious slur branding protesters as "Rajakars" — a deeply offensive term referring to collaborators who sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh's Liberation War.
The band's energetic performance electrified the crowd and confirmed that hip-hop had firmly planted its roots in Bangladesh's political and cultural landscape.
Shezan, one of Bangladesh's most popular rappers, whose song "Kotha Ko" (Speak Up) was considered the anthem of the July Uprising, followed suit with his performance. His arrival sparked chants of his name as the crowd roared in excitement.
Tracks like "Kotha Ko" and "Awaj Utha" had inspired courage during the darkest days of repression last year.
As the crowd swelled beyond Manik Mia Avenue into Khamar Bari area, and surrounding streets, more families gathered, all proudly waving flags. Jahangir Hussain from Noakhali, who lives in Dhaka's Uttara, shared his feelings of euphoria as he celebrated with his son Maruf. "This is the day we got freedom from Sheikh Hasina," he said, showing a scar on his leg from injuries sustained during the uprising. "It means everything to us."
Nasima Akhtar stood with her children, listening to Shunno's performance. "Today we celebrate," she said, "but it is also a reminder that as long as we live, this country will remain free. No ruler, no autocrat, no fascist will ever rise again in Bangladesh. If anyone tries — from any party, anyone who wants to be the next Sheikh Hasina — we will resist. We will take to the streets again, just like we did in 2024."
Amid the music and celebration, the day also held a serious political significance.
Later in the day, Dr Muhammad Yunus, the interim government's Chief Adviser, arrived to deliver the July Declaration — a formal recognition of the July Uprising as a pivotal event in Bangladesh's history. This declaration is set to be incorporated into the Constitution, ensuring that the sacrifices and victories of the uprising will be remembered and honoured.
The ceremony started with the national anthem and then a one-minute silence for the July martyrs.
Standing on the stage at the South Plaza of the National Parliament this afternoon, the chief adviser started reading out from the document at around 5:20pm.
"The people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition and that the July declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election," Yunus said.
The declaration starts with a reference to the birth of Bangladesh through the Liberation War in 1971.
"In continuation of the historical struggle against colonialism, the people of this land rose against the deprivation and exploitation inflicted by the authoritarian Pakistani regime, and established the state of Bangladesh through a bloody liberation war following the Declaration of Independence made on 26 March 1971 for achieving freedom."
In his speech, the chief adviser also said, "The fascist government had tried to cling to power by firing bullets at the people. Over the past 16 years, a mafia regime was established. 5 August is not just a special day, it marks a vow, a tale of mass awakening and the nation's rebirth from fascist rule."
