On the morning of July 25, 2024, television cameras captured a moment that would come to define the July Uprising.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while visiting a metro rail station in Mirpur that had been damaged during the previous days’ unrest, broke down in tears before the assembled media. Choking with emotion, she called on the public for justice.

She had gone straight to inspect the wrecked infrastructure without first inquiring after the dead and wounded from the crackdown on the quota reform protests -- an omission that did not go unnoticed by protesters.

Within hours, cartoons, memes and biting slogans mocking her tears flooded social media, as her apparent bid for public sympathy backfired.

Meanwhile, international pressure continued to mount on Hasina’s government.

The United Nations expressed concern over the violence and deaths during the movement. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on the government to disclose information about the casualties and detainees. Amnesty International also published a report saying lethal weapons had been used unlawfully to suppress the student movement.

Meanwhile, the then government sought to deflect responsibility. Then state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury claimed that miscreants wearing the uniforms of police and other security forces had attacked protesting students in an attempt to tarnish the image of law enforcement agencies.