On the first anniversary of the fall of the authoritarian regime on August 5, 2024, memories of fear, threats, and the brink of death continue to haunt actress Azmeri Haque Badhon and popular young singer Tasrif Khan. Both were prominent voices in support of the quota reform movement, a youth-led uprising that shook the nation and exposed the brutal suppression by the then-government. As the crackdown escalated, many from the entertainment industry stood in solidarity with the protesting students\u2014risking careers, freedom, and even their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actress Badhon recalls those days with deep anxiety. \u201cIt was terrifying,\u201d she said in a reflective conversation. \u201cThat regime was obsessed with power. Despite their threats, we stood with the students. Their sincerity gave us courage. But once I raised my voice, the government started calling us traitors. I received threats of abduction, murder\u2014even acid attacks\u2014through phone calls, messages, and social media. Yet I didn\u2019t back down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Badhon, she and several others publicly demanded the fall of the government on August 1. After that, the threat of enforced disappearance loomed large. \u201cIf August 5 hadn\u2019t come, if that regime hadn\u2019t fallen, I would have been abducted for sure,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were all on a hit list. The only reason I am standing here alive today is because of the victory of the people. You\u2019ll notice, I received the most threats on Facebook during that period. That hatred was proof I was on the right path. And when I saw audiences embrace my film Esha Murder<\/em> during Eid, I felt reassured\u2014reminded that I wasn\u2019t alone, and that public love isn\u2019t false.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Tasrif Khan\u2014whose music echoed the voice of the resistance\u2014was also targeted. He became a youth icon when his protest song \u201cRajar Rajje Shobai Golam\u201d<\/em> resonated across campuses. But with fame came danger. \u201cI was constantly on the run. They tried to trap me with offers\u2014money, proximity to power. They told me I\u2019d get to work closely with Sheikh Hasina if I helped make propaganda videos. They even assaulted my bandmate Shanto. But I refused. I chose to stand by the students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the morning of August 5, 2024, Tasrif published three Facebook posts\u2014rallying working people to the streets, calling on police officers to remember their own children, and urging ruling party members to reject violence. \u201cThose posts could\u2019ve gotten me killed,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that day hadn\u2019t ended in victory, I would\u2019ve been a dead man. The regime was furious with me. I was on their radar. They would\u2019ve found me and finished me off. Even now, I shudder thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on the perilous journey, he shared how a government liaison once approached him with an offer to collaborate in exchange for influence and wealth. When he refused, intimidation followed. \u201cThey beat up Shanto. They threatened me relentlessly. But I stayed put. I waited for the day we would win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both Badhon and Tasrif agree that August 5 marks not only a political turning point but a deeply personal one. It was the day they were spared from disappearance, imprisonment, or death. Their testimonies paint a chilling picture of a time when dissent was criminalized, and courage came at a steep price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Tasrif made his way to Tangail for a concert, he offered a closing thought: \u201cWe stood against a broken system. If it ever rises again, we will protest again. We\u2019ll still stand with the people. Because the revolution isn\u2019t over. It never really was.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the first anniversary of the fall of the authoritarian regime on August 5, 2024, memories of fear, threats, and the brink of death continue to haunt actress Azmeri Haque Badhon and popular young singer Tasrif Khan. Both were prominent voices in support of the quota reform movement, a youth-led uprising that shook the nation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6414,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6408\/revisions\/6414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hernet.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}