July Memorial Museum must open by August 5 without any delay: Sarjis

Sarjis Alam, Chief Organizer for the Northern Region of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has said that the July Memorial Museum must be opened by August 5 without any delay or bureaucratic procrastination.

In a post published on his verified Facebook page on Sunday (July 5), Sarjis wrote, "The July Memorial Museum must be opened by August 5 without any kind of delay or excuses."

He also added, "We want to see the BNP match its words with actions."

Earlier, on Wednesday, after paying tribute at the mass grave of those killed during the 2024 July Mass Uprising in Rayerbazar, NCP Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam urged the government to open the July Memorial Museum to the public by August 5. He warned that if the museum was not opened within the announced timeframe, the people themselves would enter the premises.

On Thursday afternoon, at a press conference held in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, the July Revolutionary Alliance and families of those killed during the July uprising called for the immediate opening of the museum through the Prime Minister's direct intervention, bypassing bureaucratic obstacles.

They also demanded that the museum not be opened merely in name, but that it become fully operational from the outset. The group urged the Prime Minister to provide direct guidance and make a final decision to ensure that no conspiracy could undermine or paralyze the institution. The written statement was read by Sabrina Afroz Sebonti, spokesperson for the July Revolutionary Alliance and sister of Shaheed Saikat, who was killed during the July Mass Uprising.

The statement noted that, according to the previously announced plan, the July Memorial Museum was scheduled to open to the public on August 5. However, they said they had learned that, at a meeting held late last week, Cultural Affairs Secretary Kaniz Mowla had proposed amendments to the museum's recruitment regulations.

The organization questioned the authority behind the proposal, stating:

"The National Parliament, elected by the people's vote, unanimously passed the July Memorial Museum Act. So how can a bureaucrat propose changes to that law, and under what authority?"

Describing the proposed amendments as part of a conspiracy, the organization alleged that the move serves two objectives: first, delaying the museum's final recruitment process by at least two more months; and second, creating opportunities for nepotism and corruption by appointing unqualified individuals to this highly sensitive project.

The statement further emphasized that the museum should be staffed solely on the basis of merit, requiring qualified and experienced professionals. Those who worked tirelessly to establish the museum and contributed to its planning and design should remain involved. Recruitment, they argued, must proceed strictly in accordance with the law already passed by Parliament.

The organization also alleged that those behind the conspiracy are attempting not only to delay the museum's inauguration but also to render it administratively and structurally ineffective. According to the statement, there are plans to obstruct the museum through bureaucratic non-cooperation, withhold budget allocations and essential maintenance, prevent the public from learning the true history of the July uprising, and damage the museum's reputation internationally.

It is worth noting that, although the July Memorial Museum was scheduled to be inaugurated several times during the tenure of the interim government, it was ultimately never opened to the public.