National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary and lawmaker Akhter Hossen has alleged that the government-produced documentary shown at the state programme organised to mark July Mass Uprising Day, "deliberately omitted key events and presented an incomplete account of the movement".

“This was not a party programme; it was a state event. After attending, we felt that the documentary failed to present a complete picture of the July Uprising,” he told The Daily Star over the phone after walking out of the event at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre today.

Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had organised the reception and discussion programme with Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram attending as the chief guest.

"There was no mention of the huge rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on August 3 or the announcement made there. Instead, an online speech by Tarique Rahman was shown as the declaration of the one-point demand," Akhter said.

"Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan expressed regret over the documentary. However, I believe those responsible did this quite deliberately," he added.

Akhter said family members of the July martyrs, along with NCP leaders and activists attending the programme, protested immediately after the documentary was screened.

“I was trying to defuse the situation when State Minister Ishraque Hossain made hostile remarks and his supporters began acting aggressively. I then announced our decision to walk out and left the event,” he said.

Jatiya Jubo Shakti President Advocate Tariqul Islam told The Daily Star that the programme bore "the imprint of BNP" and that neither NCP nor frontline leaders of the July Uprising were featured in the documentary.

Instead, he said, the documentary portrayed Tarique Rahman as having declared the one-point demand by showing a clip from one of his online speeches.

"You may or may not give us space, but you cannot distort the history of July in this manner. On the second anniversary of the uprising, history was distorted through a documentary. This distortion was deliberate. The leaders of July [movement] were excluded to promote a particular narrative. That is why we walked out of the event," Tariqul said.

He further alleged that Ishraque Hossain made hostile remarks over the microphone after they protested.

In response, several family members of July martyrs and injured protesters confronted Ishraque, after which his followers charged at the NCP leaders, Tariqul claimed.