Former spokesperson of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Umama Fatema, has delivered a searing critique of the movement, accusing its leadership of transforming a historic uprising into a “money-making machine.”

In a nearly two-and-a-half-hour Facebook Live session on Sunday night, she described her involvement with the platform as a “tragic event” in her life.

Speaking from her verified Facebook page, Umama, a former member secretary of the Dhaka University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation during the July uprising, reflected on her journey from activism to disillusionment.

“I never thought July could be monetised”

“July was a powerful, transformative experience,” she said. “But it never crossed my mind that people would start earning money from it. After I became spokesperson, I realised that some were using the movement for tender trading, lobbying, and even appointing DCs and SPs. Why are we turning the July movement into a money-making machine? Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.”

Her comments come amid growing public scrutiny over the conduct of certain coordinators and former leaders of the student movement, many of whom have been accused of nepotism, extortion, and wielding influence for personal gain.

“Everyone suddenly became a coordinator”

Umama revealed that the misuse of leadership titles began almost immediately after the political shift in August.

“From the morning of August 5, I saw people suddenly claiming to be ‘coordinators’ and occupying key positions,” she said. “Until yesterday, no one wanted the title. But from today, everyone is a coordinator! There’s extortion, occupation of offices, misuse of power – all under the banner of July. I began to wonder: Are we forming a new Rakkhi Bahini?”

She expressed regret over her earlier push to decentralise and broaden the movement’s structure, believing it would promote inclusivity. “I thought we should make the platform more open and representative. That wasn’t a wrong idea. But by voicing it, I made enemies. And now, we’re still suffering from the flaws that emerged from that period.”

“No one with self-respect can survive on this platform”

Umama officially withdrew from the movement on June 27, but her Facebook Live marked her most detailed public explanation of her departure. “No one with even minimal self-respect can survive on this platform,” she said. “Being part of it was a tragic chapter in my life. The people who stood at the forefront of July, who sacrificed everything – they are now being used cheaply. That is unacceptable.”

She lamented the lost potential of the past year. “I feel I’ve wasted so much time. If I had focused on my own path, I could have achieved more. We were under immense mental pressure because we dreamed of serving the country. But for others, the dream was different – the dream of extortion, of power, of personal gain.”

Addressing those who used her, she said: “You called me. You used me like a tissue paper. But I am not tissue paper.”

“All decisions were made at Hare Road”

In a damning revelation, Umama claimed that all major decisions of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement were made behind closed doors at Hare Road, indicating the state guest house Jamuna, where the interim government chief resides.

“The rest of us were just implementers,” she said. “I felt completely detached from the process. Everything was chaotic. There was no direction. No transparency.”

She acknowledged the widespread allegations of corruption: “If you even try to investigate what happened in Chattogram alone, many people’s pants will come off. The same goes for other districts. When I tried to follow up, I realized they had already gone too far.”

Manifesto, party politics, and final break

Umama expressed disappointment over the abandoned July Manifesto, which was scheduled for release on December 31 but never materialised. “That hurt me deeply,” she said.

By mid-January, she learned that efforts were underway to form a political party – a path she never supported. “At the end of January, I decided I could no longer stay with the movement.”

In early February, some members approached her to “rebuild” the platform.

“They said, ‘Apu, come back, let’s fix it.’ I thought it was my responsibility. But then, I was accused of trying to seize control. The irony is, I never valued the platform but others did, because it gave them access to government offices, to power.”

“I don’t need these credentials”

Addressing rumours that she had amassed “thousands of crores,” Umama laughed bitterly.

“All I can say is, I have a decent life. I come from a well-off family. I’ve never been in financial crisis. I don’t need this movement’s name to get a scholarship abroad. Allah has blessed me with a strong CGPA and a solid academic background.”

She added: “My family supports me not as a tool, but as a human being. They want me to do good for the country – that’s their dream. Not to turn me into a money-making machine.”

Umama’s final message was clear: “July was sacred. Don’t let it become a brand.”