July Foundation runs out of funds, employees face salary uncertainty

An uncertainty has arisen over whether employees of the July Shaheed Memorial Foundation will receive their salaries and allowances from November as the operational fund of the organisation has run out.

The July Shaheed Memorial Foundation was launched with a donation of Tk 1 billion, and its funds grew further through various contributions.

However, just a year later, the foundation is now facing a financial crisis, making it difficult to pay employee salaries.

On 15 September, the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kamal Akbar, sent a letter through the Secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs to the Ministry of Finance, seeking an allocation of Tk 50 million for operational expenses. However, he said no response has yet been received.

At present, the foundation employs 44 people, including the CEO. The organisation’s 2,400-square-foot office in Shahbagh, Dhaka, costs Tk 150,000 in monthly rent.

The foundation’s operational expenditure includes salaries, allowances, administrative costs, office rent, vehicle purchase, rental and maintenance, fuel, travel expenses, furniture purchases, and other ancillary costs.

Kamal Akbar told Prothom Alo that the government has several charitable funds, including those for funeral and burial assistance. A request for allocation has been sent to one of those funds.

On 17 September last year, Chief Adviser of the interim government Muhammad Yunus granted a donation of Tk 1 billion to the July Shaheed Memorial Foundation from the Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund.
At a press conference held that day at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, it was announced that the foundation would be responsible for supporting the families of those martyred in the July uprising. The foundation would also ensure long-term medical care and other assistance for the injured.

However, members of the martyrs’ families have criticised the government for prioritising the preservation of graves, construction of memorials, and similar projects over ensuring funds for running the foundation that was formed to look after the martyrs’ families and the injured.

Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdha, brother of July martyr Mir Mahmudur Rahman Mugdho, was first appointed as the foundation’s general secretary and later became its CEO. Although he resigned from the CEO post on 8 May, he currently serves as an executive member of the foundation’s governing body (board of directors). The six-member board, headed by the Chief Adviser as chairperson, also includes government advisers Nurjahan Begum, Sharmin S Murshid, and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain as executive members.

Mir Mahbubur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured must be given top priority, and only after that should initiatives such as preserving the memory of the martyrs and other related activities be undertaken.

In response to a question about how the salaries and other expenses of the foundation’s employees were managed up to October, the foundation’s CEO, Akbar Kamal, told Prothom Alo that in the 2024–25 fiscal year, the local government division allocated Tk 30 million in total — Tk 10 million for salaries over eight months, Tk 2.5 million for allowances, Tk 2 million for primary healthcare, and an additional Tk 15.5 million as a special grant. The foundation has been running on that allocation so far. However, he said it will no longer be possible to continue after October.

In this government-approved, nonpolitical, voluntary, and independent organisation, not only have employees’ salaries and allowances dried up, but the funds received from government and other donations have also been depleted. As a result, uncertainty has arisen over whether the foundation’s activities can continue.

After the foundation was launched with a donation of Tk 1 billion, Bangladesh Bank contributed Tk 50 million, and another Tk 50 million came from an anonymous woman donor. Additional donations were received through the foundation’s website, Facebook page, and other sources. Altogether, the foundation’s fund reached Tk 1.19 billion. Of that, only about Tk 60 million now remains. However, this remaining amount cannot be used for employee salaries.

Initially, the foundation had planned to provide Tk 500,000 to each martyr’s family, up to Tk 100,000 to each injured person, and emergency financial assistance based on the extent of loss or damage. According to government records, there are currently 834 officially recognised martyrs.

According to the foundation’s data, financial and rehabilitation assistance has so far been provided to the families of 829 martyrs and to 6,865 injured individuals. Assistance has yet to reach 8,446 people, including members of martyr families. From the foundation’s fund, a total of Tk 1.13 billion 9.9 million 19,000 and 115 has been disbursed as financial aid.

On 17 July, at the inauguration of the ‘Street Memory Stamp’ construction in Chattogram, Adviser on Liberation War Affairs Faruk E Azam announced that memorials would be built in 864 locations across the country to honor the July martyrs. On July 14, the interim government’s five advisers inaugurated the country’s first ‘July Shaheed Memorial’ in Hajiganj, Narayanganj, built in memory of 21 martyrs.

A July memorial is also being constructed at Osmani Udyan in Dhaka, as Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain told Prothom Alo at the beginning of October. The construction is estimated to cost Tk 460 million. However, environmentalists have raised concerns about rebuilding structures at Osmani Udyan, including projects initiated by the previous government.

Various ministries are also engaged in preserving martyrs’ graves, planting trees in their names, and other related activities. The interim government is converting Ganabhaban—the residence of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the mass uprising—into the July Memorial Museum. To expedite the museum’s transformation, a decision has been made to award contracts through direct procurement.

On 16 July, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) expressed concern in a statement over the government’s decision to spend nearly Tk 1.11 billion on construction and renovation for converting the residence into a museum through the so-called 'direct procurement' method.

Meanwhile, several injured individuals from the July uprising vandalised the July Shaheed Memorial Foundation office on 8 July this year after repeatedly failing to receive financial assistance. On 13 May, members of the families of martyrs and the injured held a human chain and protest in front of the foundation’s office, demanding the removal of the foundation’s CEO and treasurer.

The foundation’s executive committee includes General Secretary Samsi Ara Jaman and member Sabrina Afroz, both from martyr families. Sabrina Afroz, the elder sister of martyr Mahmudur Rahman (Saikat), told Prothom Alo that even if memorials are not built, those who wish to honour the martyrs will do so. She added that it is shameful that individuals injured in the uprising are still going to different places seeking medical treatment and rehabilitation. She emphasised that the funds planned for constructing memorials should first be spent on the families of martyrs and the injured.

On 23 April, the ‘July Mass Uprising Directorate’ was launched under the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. Through this directorate, the ministry provides financial assistance and allowances to the injured and martyrs’ families, creates opportunities for education and employment, offers necessary medical support, preserves the history and memory of the July uprising, and carries out rehabilitation and other related activities.
Kamal Akbar, CEO of the foundation, said that working with the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has led to some coordination challenges.

However, Mashiur Rahman, Director General of the July Mass Uprising Directorate, told Prothom Alo that the directorate is carrying out its assigned tasks according to its work distribution and that there is no conflict with the foundation.

Regarding the overlap between the foundation and the directorate and the lack of operational funds for the foundation, Mir Mahbubur Rahman told Prothom Alo that bureaucratic complexities slow down work in government agencies. In contrast, as a private organisation, the foundation can make decisions and act quickly. So far, the foundation remains the only institution where the families of martyrs and the injured can voice their concerns. Considering its importance, he said, the families and injured individuals will maintain the foundation in their own interest.

Expressing hope that the financial crisis will be resolved soon, Mir Mahbubur Rahman added, “The foundation’s governing board is scheduled to meet soon, and I am optimistic that decisions will be made to address the foundation’s problems.”