Our Maliha Namla—one of the key figures of the July Uprising. Perhaps, one of the most important heroes of our revolution.
Maliha is a student at Jahangirnagar University. I first met her through the progressive intellectual circle "Swachintan." We—Arif Sohel bhai, Sifat bhai, Siam bhai, and I—had all been part of a study group for a long time.
Maliha was always at the forefront of student-friendly movements and demands on campus. A frontliner, fearless in the face of threats and intimidation. She always stood up against injustice.
In February 2024, she was one of the key organizers of the anti-rape protests at Jahangirnagar University. She was involved in the quota reform movement from the very beginning of July.
On the evening of July 14 and again on July 15, Chhatra League goons brutally attacked protesting students on the JU campus. Many were severely injured in these violent assaults.
That night, the campus atmosphere was tense and terrifying. At any moment, anyone could be attacked. Yet, in the face of that fear, a few students—including Maliha—went to the Vice Chancellor’s residence to protest the barbaric attack and lodge a formal complaint. Maliha was one of the leading voices.
But the Vice Chancellor, Nurul Amin—an accomplice of the attackers—didn’t speak to them. Instead, he shut the door on them and unleashed Chhatra League thugs on the peaceful students. The VC’s residence was surrounded by armed cadres.
Standing at the VC’s doorstep, the students kept knocking and pleading, "Sir, please let us in. Please save us."
Suddenly, Chhatra League began throwing petrol bombs at the students. Several were injured. They had brought in armed outsiders to assist in the assault.
Those inside thought they wouldn’t survive. Many gave up hope and began to pray. At that critical moment, Maliha went live on Facebook from her mobile phone.
That night, millions of people across the country watched the barbarity of Chhatra League live—saw the betrayal of so-called educators in real-time. The nation was stunned. The people of Bangladesh, yearning for freedom, erupted in fury.
From that moment, lit by the spark in Maliha’s hand, the July Uprising was born. In my opinion, it was Maliha’s Facebook Live from the VC's residence that transformed a movement about quota reform into a full-blown mass uprising.
That same night, Jahangirnagar University became the first campus in the country to successfully resist the Chhatra League. The terrorists fled with their tails between their legs.
The very next morning, protests broke out across the country. On July 16, Abu Said—the braveheart from Rangpur—was martyred. The revolution blazed into an unstoppable fire.
Maliha quickly became a prime target of the Awami League. From the early hours of July 16, propaganda against her began to spread through pro-government pages.
But Maliha did not back down. She never gives up. She even came under the radar of state security forces. For a few days, she had to go into hiding. But she returned. She always returned.
On August 4, she led the breaking of locks on the university dormitories—opening up the halls for students again. On July 5, she was at the frontlines of the historic march from Jahangirnagar University to the gates of Ganabhaban (Prime Minister’s residence).
Then came our long-awaited second victory.
Even after victory, Maliha did not rest. She immediately got involved in helping the injured and the families of the martyrs. She joined the "July Smriti Foundation" and began supporting hundreds of wounded and bereaved families in Savar and Ashulia.
She continues to work tirelessly. Maliha will not stop.
Our greatest failure has been forgetting many of the key heroes of July. Maybe we didn’t even try to look for them. Maybe we didn’t want to. Many remain hidden behind the curtains.
Like Maliha—many never came into the limelight, nor did they ever seek it. But they played an irreplaceable role in our fight for liberation. To all of them, we owe our deepest respect.
And to Maliha—we can never repay the debt we owe.
Written by: Marjiur Rahman Chowdhury