The July Memorial Museum is expected to be officially inaugurated in the near future after construction and renovation work reach their final stages, Bangladesh’s Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury has said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on Tuesday, the minister said only a few administrative steps remained before the museum could begin operations.
He explained that the newly formed board of trustees is expected to hold its first meeting within the next few days, during which the recruitment of permanent staff will be finalised.
According to the minister, once those appointments have been completed, the government intends to proceed with the museum’s formal opening, subject to the approval and availability of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The museum has been established to commemorate the July Mass Uprising. Nitai Roy Chowdhury said the project was initiated after the interim government decided that the scale and historical importance of the movement warranted a permanent national memorial.
He said public dissatisfaction had grown during the administration of the former prime minister and that the mass uprising reflected grievances that had accumulated over a long period.
The minister added that after the current government assumed office, it reviewed the project and introduced structural and legal changes designed to strengthen its long-term management and operation.
Responding to questions about the time taken to complete the project and concerns over expenditure, he said a board of trustees had already been formed to oversee the museum’s future administration.
He noted that, during the interim administration, the director general of the National Museum had been assigned additional responsibility for supervising the project.
However, he said a permanent museum required its own staffing structure and an approved organisational framework before it could begin full operations.
The minister explained that securing the necessary legal approvals and updating relevant regulations in coordination with the Ministry of Public Administration and other government agencies had extended the timeline.
At the same briefing, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Cultural Affairs, Dr Jahed Ur Rahman, outlined a series of nationwide events intended to preserve the legacy of the July Mass Uprising.
He said cultural institutions operating under the ministry would begin organising exhibitions, cultural performances and competitions across the country from Wednesday to promote public awareness of the movement’s significance.
The adviser also highlighted the importance of 15 July in the timeline of the uprising. He said students had begun demonstrations shortly after midnight on 14 July, while attacks against protesters, including female students, took place on 15 July. According to him, those events intensified the movement and led to the sacrifices witnessed on 16 July.
He called on media organisations to help inform the public about the commemorative programmes and the historical importance of the dates.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam and Cultural Affairs Secretary Kaniz Moula were also present at the press conference.
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