Photo: BSS

RANGPUR, July 16, 2026 (BSS) - Marking July Martyrs' Day, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Showkat Ali today visited the grave of martyr Abu Sayed.

Fellow July fighters who participated in the anti-discrimination student movement, along with university teachers, officials and students, were present.

They paid tribute by placing flowers at the grave of martyr Abu Sayed, the first martyr of the July Uprising and a student of the English Department of BRUR, at his village, Babanpur, in Pirganj upazila this morning.

Later, they offered prayers and supplications seeking eternal peace and forgiveness for the departed soul of martyr Abu Sayed.

After the visit, the Vice-Chancellor, teachers and students met with the family members of martyr Abu Sayed, including his father Md Mokbul Hossain and mother Monwara Begum, and expressed their condolences.

They also inquired about the family's wellbeing and assured them that the BRUR authorities would continue their efforts to preserve the memory of martyr Abu Sayed.

Fellow July fighters Rahamat Ali, Shamsur Rahman Sumon and others said Abu Sayed's sacrifice was not a personal tragedy but an unforgettable chapter in the struggle of students and the people against discrimination.

"The people of post-August 5, 2024 Bangladesh must remain united and work together to build a just and discrimination-free country by embracing the courage and ideals that martyr Abu Sayed demonstrated during the anti-discrimination student movement," Rahamat Ali said.

On July 16, 2024, during the anti-discrimination student movement, Abu Sayed was shot dead by police in front of the university campus in Rangpur city.

His martyrdom became a turning point in the movement, galvanising students and people from all walks of life across the country. The movement eventually culminated in the fall of the fascist Sheikh Hasina regime on August 5, 2024, a day now widely known as '36 July'.