Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally inaugurated the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum on Wednesday at 9:00am by unveiling a plaque as chief guest. Former interim government chief adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus was present at the ceremony with him.
Although inaugurated on Wednesday, the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum will open to the public from Thursday, 6 August. Culture Minister Nitya Roy Chowdhury announced the date at a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday, 4 August.
Entry tickets have been set at Tk 50 for adults and Tk 25 for children. The adviser also said applications for entry would have to be made online.
The current BNP government had pledged to open the museum by the anniversary of the uprising this year.
During the July 2024 mass uprising, students and members of the public took to the streets. Amid intense public anger, then prime minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and left the country around midday on 5 August, the final day of the movement.
After that, streams of angry people entered Ganabhaban in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Their anger led to the destruction of parts of the boundary wall and many items inside the building, which had long been under tight security. Some among the agitated crowd also took away items from the premises. Authorities later recovered some of those items, while others were returned voluntarily.
The museum is set to display accounts of enforced disappearances and torture during the Awami League government, memories and memorabilia of victims, belongings used by the July martyrs, documents found at Ganabhaban, historical artefacts and works of art.
The site also includes a lake extended on three sides, a food court, a prayer room, washrooms, a souvenir shop and a symbolic House of Mirrors structure built with 22 cells.