Arson attack on July monument in Jamalpur

Miscreants set fire to the July monument built on the premises of Government Ashek Mahmud College in Jamalpur. The incident occurred early on Saturday (July 18). A video of the incident later surfaced on social media platform Facebook, sparking widespread discussion.

After the video went viral, members of law enforcement agencies and leaders and activists from various student organisations visited the scene.

The video circulating on Facebook shows several individuals throwing burning cloth towards the monument, followed by flames being seen at the site.

An inspection of the scene revealed burnt cloth and ash beside the monument. However, no major damage was found to the main structure of the monument.

Local sources said the video was posted from a Facebook ID named Al-Sadiq (Hridoy). His ancestral home is in the Mahmudpur area of Melandah upazila in Jamalpur. He completed his studies in Social Work at Jagannath University and went to Malaysia with his wife three to four months ago.

During his time at university, he was involved in Chhatra League politics and was known to participate in various programmes of the local Awami League and its affiliated organisations.

Aminul Ehsan, convenor of Jamalpur Jatiya Shaktiv, said a candlelight vigil programme will be held at the July monument premises on Saturday evening in protest of the incident.

After visiting the scene, Jamalpur Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Rakibul Islam said it is not possible to comment on the matter until the investigation is concluded. He said an investigation is underway to determine the actual cause of the incident and identify those involved.