Dulu: July uprising culminated 17 years of struggle

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu has declared that the July 2024 mass uprising was neither spontaneous nor isolated but the culmination of 17 years of political struggle, persecution and sacrifice, urging the state to extend recognition to those who suffered during that protracted period.

Speaking at a programme in Lalmonirhat on Saturday, the minister called for people who were persecuted, injured or killed for political reasons over those years to be honoured alongside participants in the July uprising. Addressing a ceremony at the Lalmonirhat Circuit House auditorium, he said the government would take steps to gazette eligible victims and bring them under state allowances. Meanwhile, financial assistance and employment had already been provided to identified victims and families in Lalmonirhat, and the process was continuing nationwide. At the event, financial aid was distributed among 111 affected people and families of those killed.

Furthermore, Dulu said the process of withdrawing what he described as false and fictitious political cases filed over the previous 17 years was under way, with many of those affected already cleared of such charges. Turning to infrastructure, he said a technical study of the Teesta Master Plan was currently in progress and expressed hope that formal implementation could commence in 2027. Consequently, he suggested, the project could help tackle longstanding problems such as river erosion and flooding while improving livelihoods and the local economy across the Teesta basin.

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Nevertheless, the minister stressed that the necessary preparations and technical work must be completed before implementation begins. His remarks underscored the government's twin emphasis on redressing past political grievances and delivering long-promised development projects in the country's northern region.