July 18, 2024: The Country Grinds to a Halt

The nationwide shutdown brought the country to a standstill. Roads emptied. Schools closed. Offices shuttered. Reports of violence and casualties came in from across the country. In Dhaka, the military was deployed.

By the following day, clashes escalated. Fires burned in the capital. Protesters and security forces faced off. The scale of public unrest had not been seen in a generation. Across districts and divisions, people took to the streets—not as partisans, but as citizens demanding change.