By Delowar Hossain Akaid

CUMILLA, July11, 2025 (BSS) -Hannan Rahim, a student at Cumilla University and one of the key organizers of the July Uprising, was ready for sacrificing his life to resist the discriminatory policies of the Awami League-led government. 

As one of the early centers of the movement, Cumilla University played a crucial role in igniting what became a nationwide anti-discrimination uprising.

Historically, students at Cumilla University have always been at the forefront of political movements in defense of democratic rights. In that tradition, they threw themselves into the quota reform movement and the subsequent anti-discrimination uprising, risking everything.

Their coordinated and courageous efforts inspired a spontaneous consciousness against inequality across the student body.

Among the thousands who mobilized and led protests, Hannan Rahim, astudent of Mathematics department, emerged as a prominent face of the movement from Cumilla University.

A native of Mohammadpur village in Senbagh, Noakhali, Hannan served as a chief coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement on his campus.

In this interview with BSS, he reflected on the July Uprising, recounting his experiences and memories.

BSS: Almost a year has passed since the July Uprising. Do you still feel the memories of that struggle?

Hannan: The memories of July-August will live with me for the rest of my life. Every moment of that movement was filled with anxiety and fear. We felt life risk.  It always felt like the next moment might be our last. 

I had mentally prepared myself for martyrdom. To sacrifice one's life for the country is the greatest honor. We fought back with bricks and stones against bullets. That was our reality.

BSS: How did the quota reform movement begin at Cumilla University?

Hannan: Although the movement began nationwide on July 1, it formally started at Cumilla University on July 4. Our initiative was part of the broader campaign to dismantle structural inequality and resist the capture of citizens’ rights. The quota reform was a demand rooted in equality, and our protest aligned with the national wave.

BSS: Did you realize early on that the movement would evolve into a broader anti-discrimination uprising?

Hannan: Initially, our demand was for reforming the quota system to remove inequality.  If the government would not have launched crackdown on peaceful protests, the movement will not sparked.  

 But what started as a reform demand became a catalyst for a broader anti-discrimination struggle. It transformed into a mass movement for liberation across the country.

BSS: How active were Cumilla University students in the movement?

Hannan: The students of Cumilla University were active and vocal from the beginning. As the movement spread from Dhaka, we declared solidarity and launched simultaneous programmes across our campus, highways and in the city center. We organized human chains, peaceful marches, sit-ins and silent processions.

Almost every day, students from various institutions would gather on our campus and from there we would set out in massive processions toward the highways. You could say Cumilla University functioned as the power center of the regional movement.

BSS: How did campus violence affect the movement?

Hannan: The violence significantly altered the character of the movement. What began as a peaceful and rational protest took on a more intense political tone after these attacks.

The government sponsored crackdown for suppressing the student-led protests had shaken the people of the entire country that eventually turned the movement into mass uprising.   

While the violence shook our morale, it also broadened the movement’s appeal and made it multidimensional.

 

BSS: How did attacks by Chhatra League members affect general students?
Hannan: From the outset, ours was a nonviolent movement. But after the police and ruling party’s student activists unleashed their repression, things changed. On July 15, when three students were attacked by Chhatra League on our campus, students, both male and female, rushed out of their dorms looking for the attackers. 

Even many Chhatra League members grew disillusioned and began resigning. Eventually, they became a marginalized group on campus, reduced to 15-20 individuals. The movement gained further momentum from this.

BSS: What role did female students play in the movement?

Hannan: Female students were vital to the movement. Their slogans energized the streets. They didn’t just participate; they led. On July 11, when the police attacked, female student led the march, breaking through police barricades on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

On July 18, when many of us struggled to withstand the effects of tear gas, female students kept pushing forward, encouraging us to hold the line. Armed with sticks, they marched with pride and courage. Their contribution was irreplaceable.

BSS: How do you see the continuity of Cumilla University’s role in the uprising?

Hannan: From the beginning, Cumilla University led the charge. On July 19, students were sent home via buses in an attempt to suppress the movement, as it was clear that dormitories had become centers of resistance.

Despite that, many students took refuge in off-campus housing and messes. While the movement slowed down somewhat after July 19, it never stopped. 

We worked to connect better with other institutions, regrouped, and relaunched with renewed strength. This widespread participation ultimately ensured the downfall of the autocratic regime.

BSS: How did you successfully blockade the Dhaka-Chittagong highway?

Hannan: Initially, we gathered at Cumilla University. Then we marched in large numbers to the highway and blocked it. Students from Cumilla Medical College, private universities, polytechnics, NU-affiliated colleges and even schools and madrasas joined us.

Students came from different upazilas of Cumilla with immense enthusiasm to be part of the movement. Through coordination among all these institutions, we pushed the movement forward.

BSS: Were there confrontations with local Awami League activists?

Hannan: Absolutely. Awami League activists, at all levels, became desperate to suppress us. They blocked students on their way to and from protests, assaulted them, and even harassed female students. At times, they launched weaponized attacks on us. These were cowardly and disgraceful acts.

BSS: What kind of threats did you face during the movement?

Hannan: People actively searched for me with the intent to kill. They set up lookout points in various areas. Unfortunately, those death threats haven’t stopped even now.

BSS: What steps were taken to honor the martyrs and support the injured?

Hannan: We organized several programmes to honor the martyrs and support the injured. At the university, we ensured special assistance for those who were hurt. We’ve also tried to stay in touch with the families of the fallen, to the extent possible.

BSS: How did campus journalists contribute to the movement?

Hannan: Journalists at Cumilla University, especially members of Cumilla University Journalists’ Association and the Cumilla University Press Club played a mirror-like role. 

They courageously reported from the ground and spoke truth to power. Some of them were even severely injured while covering the protests. They worked tirelessly and showed great dedication.

BSS: What role did pro-Awami League faculty members play?

Hannan: Many of them strongly opposed the movement from the very beginning. They lacked even the most basic sense of humanity. When teachers turn into politicians, you can’t expect them to act like educators. For them, serving the party agenda becomes more important than serving students.

BSS: What was the role of university administration and police force?

Hannan: The university administration acted shamelessly. On July 11, under their very watch, police launched an attack on students at the protest site near the Ansar camp. In fact, Cumilla University was the first campus in the country where police fired live bullets, injuring 20 students that day.

The administration completely failed to protect us. Instead, they threatened students and forced them out of the halls. 

As for the police, they acted with blatant bias. From July 11 to July 36, they conducted a brutal crackdown nationwide. And yet, on July 16, when some senior police officers found themselves in danger near Kotbari, we provided them safe shelter. We treated them with compassion, and in return, they gave us bullets.

BSS: Has the vision of the July Uprising been realized at the university and national levels?

Hannan: At the university level, only a few administrative changes have occurred -- new VC, Pro-VC and Treasurer have been appointed. More changes must be brought to ensure a congenial atmosphere at the university level. 
At the national level, we haven’t seen the transformative changes we demanded structural reform, justice for the attackers, or a return to healthy politics. This is the time for change. If it doesn’t happen now, it never will.

BSS: What are your hopes for a revolutionary new Bangladesh?

Hannan: We dream of a Bangladesh where every person lives safely, peacefully and with dignity. 

Democratic practices must be established. The nation could not absorb ruthless dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina  as the Awami government destroyed all democratic institutions for prolonging their authoritarian rule. The people of the country ousted Sheikh Hasina uprooting fascism from the country.  People will never see fascism.