The family of martyr Tanjil Mahmud Sujoy, a bright student from Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar, along with local residents, have demanded justice for his killing and that of others during last year’s anti-discrimination student movement.

They also called for building a just, discrimination-free Bangladesh.

The demand was raised on Saturday during the inauguration ceremony of the Shaheed Sujoy Memorial Monument, constructed by the Shaheed Sujoy Smriti Foundation, and the prize distribution of the Smriti Education Scholarship 2025. The event was held at the Bitghar Uttar Govt Primary School playground in the upazila.

As part of the occasion, the three-road intersection beside Bitghar Pukurpar was named Shaheed Sujoy Chattar, and a new monument was unveiled there in his memory.

Nabinagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rajib Chowdhury presided over the event. Among the guests who spoke were Prof Sanoara Sultana, Principal of Gazipur’s Bhawal Badre Alam Government College; Nabinagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdur Razzaq; National Citizens’ Committee (NCP) Joint Chief Organiser for the southern region Mohammad Ataullah; and Chief Patron Nazrul Islam Naju.

Speakers said Sujoy was the only martyr from Bitghar Union. “On the day the nation celebrated its second independence, the autocratic regime burnt him alive,” they said. “We cannot allow his sacrifice to be in vain.”

They added that Sujoy had been a strong voice in the anti-discrimination quota movement, regularly joining protests and standing in solidarity with fellow students.

Just a day before the fall of the regime, Sujoy posted on Facebook, saying — “If I stay alive, I’m a hero; if I die, I’m a martyr. If you survive, you’re a thug; if you die — Alhamdulillah. The calculation is clear.”

Six families of martyrs from the upazila were honoured with crests at the event. Recipients of the Shaheed Sujoy Memorial Scholarship were awarded certificates and crests. Members of the executive committee overseeing the memorial were also recognised.

Later, several political leaders addressed the gathering, expressing support for a ban on the Awami League and demanding justice over Sujoy’s killing.

The event was coordinated by Mohammad Arafat Islam (Shakib), a student of Jahangirnagar University’s Anthropology department and a neighbour of Sujoy. 

Notably, college student Tanjil Mahmud Sujoy and several others were shot dead in front of Ashulia Police Station in Dhaka on 5 August. Their bodies were later identified through ID cards found in their pockets.