Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has inaugurated the “July Memorial” at Osmani Udyan in the capital and opened the modernised park to the public.
The prime minister inaugurated the memorial on Monday morning in the presence of family members of those killed in the July Uprising, his Deputy Press Secretary Mostafa Zulfiquar Hasan said.
Tarique arrived at the venue at 10am and inaugurated the July Memorial accompanied by Md Makbul Hossain, father of Abu Sayed, who was killed in the July Uprising; Mostafizur Rahman, father of Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho; Sanjida Khan Dipti, mother of Shahariar Khan Anas; and Mohammad Shafiul Alam, father of Wasim Akram.
“After the inauguration, the prime minister planted a sapling on the memorial premises. He later inaugurated the modernised Osmani Udyan,” the deputy press secretary said.
“The prime minister toured the park and also visited the library set up there.”
The two projects were implemented to preserve the memory of those killed in the July Uprising and improve the capital’s urban environment, Mostafa said.
Names of 834 Martyrs Inscribed on July Memorial
The 90-foot-high July Memorial has been built to preserve the memory of those killed in the July Uprising of 2024.
Spread over nearly one acre, the memorial bears the names of 834 martyrs, engraved using laser-cutting technology. Twenty symbolic tombstones have also been installed in front of it.
The memorial features relief sculptures measuring 163 feet long and 4.5 feet high on the outside and 171 feet long and 7.5 feet high on the inside.
The sculptures depict Bangladesh’s history of successive movements and struggles, including the 1952 Language Movement, the 1969 Mass Uprising, the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 Mass Movement and the 2024 July Uprising.
Osmani Udyan Modernised
The historic 23-acre Osmani Udyan, located at the junction of Old and New Dhaka, has been modernised as part of a project aimed at transforming it into a green, safe and modern recreational space for city residents.
As part of the revamp, the park’s old waterbody has been restored and five new waterbodies have been created. Existing trees have been preserved, while new trees and green islands have been added.
The park now features around 3.1 kilometres of walking trails, a gymnasium, a pagoda, public toilets, parking facilities and steps leading down to the waterbodies.
It also has a rainwater harvesting system with a capacity of 50,000 litres. The park has been laid out on two levels, with a fast-moving pathway two metres above street level.
Prime Minister’s Political Advisor Mirza Abbas, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam and Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton were present at the event.