On Friday, October 17, the July Charter signing ceremony took place at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building. Led by Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, top leaders from various political parties were present. The event officially began at 4:37 PM with the national anthem.
Attendees included Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul, Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostafa Sarwar Faruqui, Joint Vice President of the National Unity Commission Ali Riaz, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar, Citizen Unity President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Chairman of AB Party Mojibur Rahman Manju, Chief Coordinator of the People’s Solidarity Movement Jonayed Saki, Presidium member of Islami Andolan Bangladesh Ashraf Ali Akon, among others.
However, representatives from the National Citizens Party (NCP) and four left-wing parties — CPB, BASAD, BASAD (Marxist), and Bangladesh JASAD — did not participate.
Earlier in the day, a group rallying under the banner of ‘July Martyrs’ Families and Injured Fighters’ gathered in front of Gate 12 of the Parliament building and began protesting. They broke through the gate, entered the stage area, and occupied guests’ seats while chanting slogans.
At around 1:26 PM, clashes broke out between this group and the police, continuing until approximately 2 PM. Police used baton charges and sound grenades to control the situation. The clashes led to some vandalism and arson near the Parliament premises.
Security forces surrounded the entire Parliament area and remained on high alert to maintain order.
