July victims, families: Govt moves to ensure support

The government yesterday approved an ordinance to ensure employment, training, housing, medical care, and low-interest loans for those injured in the July uprising and families of those who were killed.

The advisory council cleared the "July Mass Uprising Martyrs' Families and Injured Students-Citizens Welfare and Rehabilitation Ordinance, 2025" at a meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

A gazette on the ordinance will be published soon, officials said.

Drafted by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, it includes a provision to revise the financial benefits for the families of the people killed by law enforcement agencies or political organisations affiliated with the then government.

According to the draft, "The amount of one-time or monthly financial assistance may be increased or decreased based on the socio-economic condition, age, and number of dependents of the martyred person."

The ordinance refers to the martyred and injured individuals as "July Martyrs" and "July Warriors", respectively.

Of the injured, individuals who have lost at least one eye, hand, or leg; those who are completely blind; persons fully mentally impaired; or those entirely incapable of independent living or working are under category A.

Category B includes individuals who are partially blind, have suffered serious brain injuries, or have sustained other similar injuries.

Category C covers those who have required long-term hospitalisation but are expected to recover and return to normal activities after treatment, as well as those who have already recovered and are able to function normally.

July Warriors would receive a health card to access priority-based, free medical treatment at all government hospitals at the district and upazila levels, medical colleges, and government-designated specialised hospitals, according to the draft.

A board of expert physicians will recommend critically injured victims for advanced medical treatment, both at home and abroad. For treatment abroad, the foreign ministry will provide necessary assistance.

Under the proposed ordinance, a new government agency named the "July Uprising Directorate" will be established to provide the financial assistance to the July Warriors and the families of the July Martyrs. Additionally, the directorate will initiate various projects and programmes aimed at supporting the affected families.

The directorate will prepare and publish official lists of the martyrs and injured individuals, preserve this data in a national database, and ensure their inclusion in official gazettes.

The directorate will be established in Dhaka and it will uphold the spirit and ideals of the uprising through various initiatives. It will also work to preserve the history and memories of the uprising through research, maintenance of martyrs' graves, installation of memorial plaques, and promotion of this historical event internationally.

Provisions will also be made to set up regional offices of the directorate outside Dhaka, if necessary. The director general heading the directorate will hold the rank of additional secretary under the Liberation War affairs ministry.

Once the July Uprising Directorate is formed, the existing special cell dealing with the uprising will be dissolved, the draft said.

However, all activities previously carried out under this cell will be considered as conducted under the jurisdiction of the newly formed directorate, it added.

If any person, who is not a wounded participant or a family member of a martyr from the July uprising, seeks or receives benefits through deception, it will be treated as a criminal offence under the ordinance, according to the draft of the proposed ordinance.

The punishment for such an offence includes up to two years of simple imprisonment or a fine of up to Tk 2 lakh. Additionally, the government will recover double the amount of any financial benefit wrongfully obtained.