The violent civil unrest that engulfed Bangladesh in July and August resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, though the exact number remains a matter of debate and uncertainty. As efforts to compile a definitive casualty list continue, student activists and government officials present widely differing estimates, leaving the nation in the grip of unresolved tensions and grief.
According to the transitional government, which took power following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, the official death toll from the unrest stands at 630. However, student leaders claim the number of lives lost is more than double that figure.
“The number of martyrs in the July revolution is 1,423 people. But this number can be more or less. We will be able to make a full list very quickly,” said Tariqul Islam, a member of the health affairs sub-committee of the Student Movement Against Discrimination, during a Facebook Live post on Friday.
The “July revolution,” as Tariqul referred to it, began as peaceful student-led protests over job quotas but spiraled into deadly violence that culminated in the fall of Hasina’s government. As clashes between students, security forces, and pro-government supporters escalated, so did the bloodshed.
Disputed Numbers and Uncertainty
The gulf between official figures and student estimates has raised concerns about transparency and accountability. In his broadcast, Tariqul emphasized that the figure of 1,423 deaths was still under revision, and he acknowledged the difficulties in obtaining accurate data.
“We collected data and completed cross-checks. There are many names we have in our list that lack family details,” said Nahida Bushra, another member of the student committee. She emphasized that their efforts, supported by the Directorate General of Health Services, NGOs, and voluntary organizations, were aimed at ensuring accuracy. “We are very hopeful that there are no double counts and there are no major errors, but we have taken a decision to recheck all the data before making the list public.”
In addition to the deaths, the number of injured remains staggering. Tariqul Islam reported that over 22,000 people were injured during the protests, many of whom were treated without records due to fear of harassment from Awami League officials.
“We have a list of 22,000 injured people so far,” Tariqul said.
While the exact number of injured individuals remains in flux, reports of severe injuries have surfaced. During his Facebook address, Tariqul revealed the chilling extent of harm caused to demonstrators. “587 people lost arms or legs, while 685 people suffered partial or complete sight loss due to bullets – 92 of them were shot in both eyes or had both eyes destroyed,” he said, underscoring the brutality of the response to the protests.
Student Death Adds to Grief
Among the dead was Junaid Islam Ratul, a sixth-grade student who died on Monday, weeks after being shot during an August 5 protest in northern Bangladesh. Ratul, who had joined the protest with his family, suffered severe injuries when police fired at demonstrators. His family, who rushed him to a hospital in Dhaka, could only watch as doctors struggled to save his life. Ratul’s sister, Jerin Sultana, shared her harrowing account of the day.
“Ratul was injured when the police fired at the procession,” Sultana said. “I was very close to him at that time. Suddenly, four bullets hit Ratul’s head. One of the bullets entered Ratul’s head through his left eye.”
Despite undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from his brain, Ratul succumbed to his injuries seven weeks later. His death added to the growing list of young lives lost in the unrest.
Transitional Government Struggles to Restore Order
The transitional government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced a daunting task in restoring stability. After taking office in early August, Yunus’s administration has grappled with ongoing violence, looting, and factional infighting. Last week, in a bid to restore law and order, the government granted the army broad powers to make arrests anywhere in the country for up to 60 days. This measure followed weeks of military patrols that had been largely symbolic, as troops lacked enforcement authority.
The decision to deploy the army with full enforcement powers marks a significant escalation in the government’s efforts to quell the violence, which has taken a deadly toll not only on protesters but also on members of the Awami League. Targeted attacks on former ruling party members have led to widespread looting, particularly as rival factions seek to seize control of properties once held by the party.
According to human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured in intra-party clashes among members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who are jostling to control properties abandoned by the ousted government.
In one especially grim incident, scores of people were presumed dead after a fire was deliberately set by looters at a tire factory near Dhaka in late August. The blaze rendered the building too dangerous to enter, and authorities have since abandoned their search for the missing.
A Divisive Legacy
The violence that erupted during the student-led protests has left an indelible mark on Bangladesh. What began as a movement against job quotas in the civil service on July 1 quickly spiraled out of control. On July 16, peaceful demonstrations turned into violent clashes after police and Awami League supporters joined forces to disperse protesters.
The Awami League, which had ruled Bangladesh since 2009, had grown increasingly unpopular due to accusations of corruption and cronyism. Protests swelled as frustrations over limited economic opportunities, high unemployment, and perceived nepotism in government hiring practices boiled over.
However, the situation took a darker turn after the fall of the Hasina government on August 5. In the weeks that followed, there were widespread reports of Awami League officials allegedly trying to destroy evidence of the killings and injuries that occurred during the unrest.
M.A. Akmal Hossain Azad, senior secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, confirmed that the interim government is working to compile an official list of casualties. “We are making a detailed list of the people who were killed during the movement. The list would be made public by the cabinet division very soon,” Azad said.
Similarly, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, a former senior secretary of the nation’s Health Services Division, echoed the concerns voiced by student leaders. Kabir, who was appointed to an inter-ministerial committee tasked with investigating the protests’ casualties, agreed that the official tally of 630 deaths likely underestimates the true number of fatalities.
“Yes, I very much agree with the findings of the student committee. Though we initially released the number of deaths as 630 based on formal data, there was a huge number beyond our counting due to a lack of necessary information,” Kabir said.
The full scale of the human cost of Bangladesh’s July revolution remains unknown, with official and independent efforts to track the dead and injured ongoing. The country’s interim government faces the difficult task of not only uncovering the truth about the violence but also restoring peace and stability.
As Bangladesh continues to grapple with the aftermath of the protests, one thing is clear: the events of July and August have reshaped the country’s political landscape. What began as a student-led uprising has led to a power vacuum, with competing factions jockeying for control and the nation’s future hanging in the balance.
With the army now playing an active role in enforcing security and an official casualty list still pending, Bangladeshis remain in mourning and waiting for answers. The legacy of the July revolution, and the sacrifices made by those who lost their lives, will undoubtedly be felt for years to come.
