Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has inaugurated the ‘July Memorial’ built in Dhaka’s Osmani Udyan to preserve the memory of those martyred in the July Mass Uprising. Concurrently, he also inaugurated the modernized historic Osmani Udyan.
On Monday (October 19), the Prime Minister arrived at the venue at 10:00 AM. He then inaugurated the memorial accompanied by the father of martyr Abu Said, Md. Maqbul Hossain; the father of Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdha, Mostafizur Rahman; the mother of martyr Shahariar Khan Anas, Sanjida Khan Dipti; and the father of martyr Wasim Akram, Mohammad Shafiul Alam, all martyred in the July Mass Uprising.
Following the inauguration, the Prime Minister planted a sapling in the memorial premises. He then toured the modernized Osmani Udyan and visited the library established next to the park.
Present at the event were Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Abdul Moin Khan, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister A.B.M. Abdus Sattar, Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation Abdus Salam, and Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton.
The memorial, constructed to preserve the memory of those martyred in the July Mass Uprising of 2024, stands 90 feet tall. Built over approximately one acre of land, the names of 834 martyrs have been engraved on its surface using laser cutting. Twenty symbolic gravestones have also been installed in front.
The memorial features relief sculptures, 163 feet long and four and a half feet high on the exterior, and 171 feet long and seven and a half feet high on the interior. These depict the history of various movements and struggles in Bangladesh, including the 1952 Language Movement, the 1969 Mass Uprising, the 1971 Great War of Liberation, the 1990 Mass Movement, and the 2024 July Mass Uprising.
Meanwhile, the historic Osmani Udyan, spanning 23 acres and located at the junction of Old and New Dhaka, has been modernized. Under the project, the park has been developed into a green, safe, and modern civic recreation center.
As part of the modernization, the old water bodies have been renovated, and five new ones have been constructed. Existing greenery has been preserved, new trees have been planted, and green islands have been created.
The park now features an approximately 3.1-kilometer long walking path, a gymnasium, a pagoda, public restrooms, parking facilities, and ghats for the water bodies. Additionally, a rainwater harvesting system with a capacity of 50,000 liters has been incorporated. The two-tiered park also includes an elevated rapid transit path two meters above the main road.
Through these two projects, on one hand, an initiative has been taken to preserve the memory of those martyred in the July Mass Uprising, and on the other, Osmani Udyan has been redeveloped as a green and modern civic recreation center for the residents of the capital.