'July uprising' painted on walls

Language of protests has appeared in scratches of paint and stories of protests have been painted on the walls of the Dhaka University campus.

The walls of DU are now decorated with graffiti- some are symptomatic of the terrible paunches of the dictator and some reminiscent of the painful happenings.

By having a glimpse on the wall graffiti, anyone could read the history of the fall of the fascist Awami League regime that took place following the July-August student-mass uprising in 2024.

The political statements and slogans of the ruling party student organisations or left-wing student organisations could be seen on the walls and boundary walls of various buildings inside Dhaka University (DU), the highest seat of learning in the country.

Through these, they propagated party ideals.

Even before August 5, many did not even imagine that the government of Sheikh Hasina, who had been holding on to power for a long time, will fall.

With the call of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, millions of people took to streets with the students of various universities, schools, colleges and madrasas.

The whole country literally got united towards bringing down the dictatorial regime.

Finally, Sheikh Hasina's government was deposed on August 5 with her resignation from the post of prime minister and her fleeing to India.

After the fall of the Awami League government, students got involved in wall writing and graffiti painting.

Not only Dhaka University, but also other educational institutions witnessed the same happenings.

At the beginning of August, the agitators removed the graffiti that had been written by the Chhatra League in the Dhaka University area.

Then they started writing poems, songs or various slogans of the movement there. Most of the wall writings of that time were written in haste.

However, after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina on August 5, the faces of the walls underwent massive changes. Students of different art schools painted the walls spending 8-10 days.

The scene of Abu Saeed standing when he was shot on the walls of Dhaka University became viral; Does anyone need water?, July 36 calendar, and many such slogans were written.

Students say through these graffiti, the memories of the bloody and wounded months of July-August are to be remembered as well as the lost memories of the July Revolution are being revived from people's minds over time.

However, referring to the 'Free Thought Practice Center' in Dhaka University area, the students say what will happen in the whole country depends a lot on what is happening in Dhaka University.

Therefore, the image of mass uprising on the wall of Dhaka University is appropriate now. It is only through this movement that everyone has been able to unite regardless of party affiliation.

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