While the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is enacting laws and announcing special benefits or quotas for the martyrsโ families and the injured individuals of the anti-government movement in 2024, criticisms are mounting due to the gross irregularities in preparing the lists and filing false and fictitious cases.
Before revealing their government ouster plan in mid-July, the Students Against Discrimination platform had been waging a movement against quotas in public service since July 1, especially against the quota for the family members of the 1971 freedom fighters. Now they are creating discrimination by taking special privileges.
On June 19, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that the government will officially observe August 5 as a public holiday every year to mark the Day of Student-Peopleโs Uprising.
Two days before the announcement, the government issued an ordinance providing a legal framework for welfare initiatives to rehabilitate the families of those killed and those injured.
The draft law was approved by the Advisory Council on May 15. The newly formed Department of the July Uprising will oversee the implementation of the law.
The law describes categories of the deceased to be recognised as July Martyrs and the injured as July Joddha (July Fighters or July Warriors). Each of the martyrs’ families is being granted a one-time payment of Tk30 lakh, in addition to a monthly allowance of Tk20,000. Of this amount, Tk10 lakh is being disbursed in the current (2024โ25) fiscal year, while the remaining Tk20 lakh will be given in the next fiscal year (2025โ26).
The injured have been categorised as Injured, Critically Injured and Extremely Critically Injured. All of them have the right to receive free medical care and rehabilitation.
Category A warriors will get a one-time grant of Tk5 lakh and a monthly allowance of Tk20,000. In addition to a monthly allowance of Tk15,000, Category B warriors will receive a one-time grant of Tk3 lakh. Category C warriors will get rehabilitation and priority in government jobs.
On June 2, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed proposed an allocation of Tk405.20 crore in the national budget for FY 2025-26 for the families of the martyrs and those who sustained injuries.
Under the ordinance, official lists of martyrs and injured individuals will be recognised as legally binding. Earlier, the government published the gazette of the 834 martyrs on January 15 and another list of 10,642 injured on February 27.
The rehabilitation support includes employment opportunities, skill-based training aligned with victims’ capabilities, access to education, medical care, and low-interest loans for self-employment.
Both the families of the martyrs and the injured will get a one-off lump sum as aid for rehabilitation and a monthly stipend.
An initiative to convert Ganabhaban to the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum is underway.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) plans to build the flats on government land in Mirpur’s Section 14 of the capital. Under the proposed plan, six 14-storey and ten 10-storey buildings will be constructed to accommodate a total of 804 flats, estimated at Tk762 crore.
Each of the flats will be 1,355 square feet in size, consisting of two bedrooms, a drawing room, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and three bathrooms.
The ordinance includes penalties for fraudulent claims: two years in prison and a fine of Tk2 lakh or twice the amount of the received benefits.
So far, officials have identified more than 70 people who fraudulently used fake documents to be included in the list of martyrs and injured.
July Memorial Foundation officials say they have written to the government to remove the names of 19 people from the Health Ministryโs MIS list. If scrutinised properly, another 1,000-1,500 fake injuries could be detected.
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