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Visitors, including July uprising fighters, injured protesters and family members of those killed during the July uprising, forced their way into the July Uprising Memorial Museum in the capital on Wednesday after becoming frustrated over a delay in opening the main gate.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon after the museum remained closed more than an hour beyond its scheduled opening time, prompting a crowd waiting outside to break the lock and gate before entering the premises.
Eyewitnesses said the museum authorities had announced that the entrance would open at around 2:15 pm. However, despite waiting in heavy rain for more than an hour, hundreds of people were still unable to enter, triggering growing frustration.
As tensions escalated, several July uprising fighters and relatives of those killed began pushing against the main gate before breaking the lock and forcing it open. Many other visitors waiting outside then entered the museum compound.
Witnesses said slogans were chanted as people entered, including calls demanding the execution of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
One participant urged the crowd to remain peaceful, saying, “Do not vandalise anything or damage any property. We have come to see the history and will leave after visiting.”
Other visitors said they had waited in the rain for a long time and argued that the situation could have been avoided if the museum had opened as scheduled. They blamed the delay by the authorities for the unrest.
Members of the law enforcement agencies were present at the scene but struggled to manage the large crowd. The visitors later toured different sections of the museum.
