July Uprising Hero Faiyaz Secures GPA-5 in HSC

Teenager Mr. Hasnatul Islam Faiyaz became a household name in 2024 after police arrested him for joining the movement of students and people. His remand and a photo of him taken to court with tied hands then spread across the country. Faiyaz has now done well in his HSC exam. He passed with GPA 5 in every subject except Bangla.

His elder brother, Mr. Mazharul Islam, confirmed the news yesterday in a Facebook post. Mr. Mazharul Islam is the General Secretary (GS) of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JACSU).

Faiyaz took an active part in the uprising of students and people, which began as the quota reform movement in July 2024. He was only 17 years old then and studied at Dhaka College. He joined the movement from its early days. He worked with his friends to supply water and food to the protesters in the front rows. He also chanted slogans to encourage them.

During the tense days of the movement, men who called themselves law enforcers in plainclothes picked him up from his home in Matuail in the capital one night. Nobody knew where he was for a few days. Police then brought him to court in the murder case of police member Mr. Giyas Uddin. The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court ordered seven days of remand for him that day.

As police took Faiyaz out of the court, they tied both his hands with rope and put him in a prison van. A photo of this spread through the media and social media. Many people across the country sharply criticised the treatment of a 17 year old student. Someone also filed a writ petition on the matter in the High Court.

The next day, his lawyers showed his birth registration and SSC certificate in court and said he was a minor. The Dhaka Children’s Court then declared him a minor. It cancelled the seven day remand order and sent him to the Tongi Child Development Centre in Gazipur. Later, during a High Court hearing, the state also admitted that taking him on remand and tying him with rope was wrong.

That painful event in July and his time in custody made Faiyaz known across the country. He faced many difficulties and challenges, but he returned to his studies. He has now beaten all the barriers and shown his talent in the HSC results.