Shohagi Jahan Tonu (19), a student of Comilla Victoria Government College and a theater activist, met a tragic fate as she was brutally raped and murdered. Her body was discovered approximately 400 yards away from her residence, within the highly restricted Comilla Cantonment area on the night of March 20, 2016. This incident sparked nationwide protests in Bangladesh and ignited a social media movement demanding justice. Demonstrators also questioned, how, despite being a practicing Muslim usually seen wearing the Islamic hijab, she could’ve been raped and killed.
Students chant slogans demanding the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and justice for the victims arrested and killed during the nationwide quota reform protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 2, 2024.
A graffiti of blogger Avijit Roy on the walls of the University of Dhaka. Avijit, a Bangladeshi-American engineer, online activist, writer, and blogger, gained recognition for establishing and managing Mukto-Mona (Free-minded), an Internet blogging community for Bangladeshi freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, atheists, and humanists. Tragically, he was murdered by machete-wielding assailants on February 26, 2015, due to his books and online writings. In February 2021, five leaders and members of a banned militant outfit were sentenced to death, and another received a life sentence for their involvement in Avijit's brutal murder. Between 2013 and 2016, a series of targeted attacks resulted in the killings and injuries of several secularists and bloggers. Multiple Islamic militant groups claimed responsibility for these murders through social media.
Charred remains of a bus on the street of Dhaka. On April 6, 2013, Hefajat-e-Islam organized a long march from Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, and other districts of Bangladesh to the Motijheel area in Dhaka. On May 5, 2013, the group held a rally in Dhaka to demand the enactment of their 13-point agenda, which included the execution of "Atheist Bloggers." Police intervention led to violent confrontations.
Rakib, a 12-year-old boy receives treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for burns suffered in a petrol bomb attack. Petrol bomb attacks on public transport increased in Bangladesh following the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)'s imposition of a month-long transport blockade on January 5, 2015, in protest against the ruling Awami League (AL). According to Amnesty International, the attacks resulted in the deaths of over 50 people and serious injuries to hundreds more. More than 1,300 buses and other vehicles had been attacked. The attacks followed the same pattern as the election-related violence of 2014, when more than 500 people were killed.
An activist of the Shahbagh Movement addresses a gathering at Shahbagh Square in Dhaka, protesting against political violence; February 6, 2015. On 5th February 2013, thousands of youth started the Shabagh movement demanding capital punishment for the “Razakars” — collaborators who committed war crimes such as killings, rape, and arson during the 1971 Liberation War.
Xulhaz Mannan, a leading LGBTQ rights activist and editor of Bangladesh's first LGBTQ magazine, Roopban, was murdered along with his friend Tonoy in his apartment on April 25, 2016. Xulhaz had received death threats for his activism. This photo, taken three days before his murder, shows him in the same room with his friend, with part of his face kept out of the frame to protect his anonymity.
A Christian cultural activist and journalist shows the death threat that he received via text message in 2015. Several other activists, secular writers, and bloggers have also received similar death threats from various extremist groups.
A woman checks her phone as the internet blockade is lifted while walking towards the Prime Minister’s residence after Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 5, 2024.
Pallbearers carry the body of Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, one of the victims of the deadly terrorist attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 1, 2016. The attack, which was carried out by five militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), killed 22 civilians, most of whom were foreigners. The Bangladesh government denied the existence of Islamic State in the country, and blamed the attack on home-grown militants.
Sumiti Bala Goswami, a Hindu devotee, breaks down in tears during the evening prayer as her temple is vandalized by a Muslim mob in Comilla, Bangladesh. The mob, representing a local madrasa, attacked the Hindu community in Backhsitarampur village, Comilla on April 27, 2014. The attack was triggered by a rumor that two Hindu youths from the village had posted defamatory comments about Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. The mob vandalized houses and temples, and ransacked everything the villagers had.
Revellers participate in the procession “Mongol Shobhajatra” to mark the Bengali New Year, known as Pohela Boishakh in Dhaka, Bangladesh; April 14, 2015. “Pohela Boishakh” holds profound cultural significance for the Bengali identity, and it is celebrated across the country with fairs, processions, and cultural programs. However, in recent years, there has been debate about whether the procession is compatible with the Islamic identity of the majority of Bangladeshis. On April 9, 2023, a Supreme Court lawyer issued a legal notice to halt the procession, citing the term “Mongol” as having Hindu religious connotations and the showcasing of sculptures of birds, fish, and other creatures as being offensive to the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
A vandalized statue of a Hindu deity in a temple in Banshkhali, Chittagong, Bangladesh. During the period from February 28 to March 6, 2013, a series of disturbing events unfolded, resulting in the desecration of over 40 temples, looting of Hindu properties, and the destruction of houses and shops belonging to the Hindu community. The violence was witnessed in various districts, including Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Gaibanda, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Barisal, Faridpur, Brahminbaria, Sirajgonj, Jaipurhat, Netrakona, and Feni. The government attributed responsibility for these heinous activities to Jamaat-e-Islam, following the conviction of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, (Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islam). Delwar Hossain Sayeedi was sentenced to death after being convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on eight of twenty charges, including mass killings, rape, arson, looting, and the forced conversion of Hindus during the 1971 Liberation War
Family members, and relatives of victims of enforced disappearance or secret abduction hold portraits of the missing members during a press conference held to mark the 'International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances' in Dhaka; August 30, 2023. According to the Bangladeshi NGO Odhikar, between 2009 and June 2024, at least 708 cases of enforced disappearances were reported.
Dhaka University under curfew on August 2, 2024. This historic institution has been the birthplace of numerous significant protests and student movements throughout Bangladesh's history.
Police disperse pro-BNP lawyers with water cannon at Supreme Court premises in Dhaka, as they tried to bring out a procession in support of BNP's “March for Democracy” program ahead of 2014 general elections; December 29, 2013.
Anti-government protesters set fire and block the road on August 4, 2024, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and protesting against the longest-serving ruling party, Awami League.
A fire swept through the "Amar Ekushey Book Fair" at the Bangla Academy premises, burning down at least 25 book stalls containing books of history and literature about the liberation war; 24 February, 2013. The book fair is named “Ekushey” after the Bengali word for the 21st of February, which is celebrated as International Mother Language Day. It honors the people who were killed on February 21, 1952, during the Bengali Language Movement. That movement was a protest to make Bengali the official language of what was then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Police move in as protesters gather on the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 31, 2024.
Ayat Ullah, a Rohingya refugee was shot dead in front of his shelter in Rohingya Refugee Camp, Cox’s Bazar. When their father, Kefayat Ullah, found and embraced his lifeless son, Ayat's blood stained his t-shirt. He has kept that t-shirt unwashed as a reminder of that day and the justice that hasn’t come yet.
A young protester writes 'Democracy' on the chest of a rickshaw puller during a protest against the Hasina regime in Dhaka, August 2, 2024.
Children ride a lion statue during a family vacation in a renovated park near the old airport, where the Pakistani military killed Bengalis and dumped their bodies in mass graves in 1971, Dhaka, January 4, 2023.
On April 26, 2013, in Chittagong, protestors from Hefazot-e-Islam demanded capital punishment for the bloggers of the Shahbagh movement after allegations had surfaced that some of these bloggers had defamed Islam. Hefazot-e-Islam gained prominence in 2013 with their 13-point demands, which included advocating for anti-blasphemy laws. According to Hefazat, the Shahbagh protesters demanding capital punishment for war criminals were portrayed as atheists and anti-Islamic.
Police fire tear gas at environmental activists in Dhaka, as they staged a half-day shutdown to protest the construction of a coal-fired power plant at Rampal, 14 kilometers away from the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bangladesh and Indian governments struck a deal in 2016 to build a 1,320- megawatt power plant. The project raised concerns about the environmental impact among environmental activists, who demanded that the government cancel the Rampal project.
A theater group of young artists and activists performs a demonstration on the eve of March 25, 2017, to commemorate the declaration of the day as “Genocide Day." The government has also appealed for international recognition of the day. On March 25, 1971, during the liberation war of Bangladesh, the Pakistani military launched a vicious campaign called "Operation Searchlight," targeting Bengali freedom fighters, Hindu minorities, students, academics, and intellectuals.
A one-day-old baby, born in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh but of Rohingya origin, remains officially stateless as a refugee. At least 60 Rohingya babies are born as stateless every day in the refugee camp.
Defaced portrait of Sheikh Hasina, the longest serving Prime Minister of Bangladesh and daughter of the founder of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; Dhaka, March 23, 2017.
People celebrate by waving flags after protests led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka; August 5, 2024.
The echoes of the 1971 liberation war resonate throughout any discourse in Bangladesh, persistently shaping and evoking questions about the nation's contemporary socio-political issues. From the costly independence from Pakistan to the subsequent decades, Bangladesh has faced numerous political and social upheavals. The ‘80s and ‘90s witnessed significant struggles for democracy, freedom of speech, and basic rights. Despite bidding farewell to military governments, democracy in Bangladesh has always been tenuous, with a continuous declination of democratic values and human rights. Questions of identity have become central to socio-political debates, encompassing political ideology, religious belief, culture, ethnicity, even gender and sexuality; often through divisive labels such as “anti-nationalist,” “radical,” “fascist” and many more.
“In Quest for Democracy and Identity” began during a pivotal moment for Bangladesh in 2013, when thousands of youth took to the street demanding capital punishment for the “Razakars” — collaborators who committed war crimes such as killings, rape, and arson during the 1971 Liberation War. Many of those individuals were still holding prominent positions in Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamic political party, and in the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
What followed was a decade of unendurable political violence, the rise of religious extremism, recurring assaults on minorities, the tragic loss of activists and civilians, and the unfolding of a full-fledged refugee crisis, deepening the complexity of the context. Moreover, recent years have seen a severe crackdown on freedom of expression, with abductions and enforced disappearances creating an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship. Despite this, there has been resistance and resilience. These photographs surpass mere documentation of incidents. They encapsulate the lived reality of native Bangladeshis.
A turning point came in mid-2024 when nationwide protests erupted against a discriminatory government job quota system. What started as a student-led movement quickly escalated into a broader demand for transparency and accountability. The government’s violent crackdown — combined with widespread clashes and vandalism during the protests led to over 600 deaths and thousands of injuries on both sides, including protesters and security forces. The unrest quickly turned into a full-scale uprising against corruption and political repression. On August 5, 2024, after weeks of unrest, Sheikh Hasina — the longest-serving Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Awami League, the party that led Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War — was ousted. This historic moment has left the country at a crossroads, with its democratic future uncertain.
Following the contentious 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections, the demand for free, fair, and participatory elections has gained unprecedented urgency as a foundational goal of democracy, which the people of Bangladesh are still striving to achieve.
Is Bangladesh still the secular nation envisioned at its founding? Can opposing ideologies coexist within the same political space? And where is the country truly headed as a democracy? These are the very questions this project asks — as the nation confronts them today.
Turjoy Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi visual storyteller, researcher and educator working in the Indian subcontinent, across Asia, as well as in the United States. He is a National Geographic Photographer and Explorer. He never attended a photography institution, rather, he studied architecture.
Chowdhury primarily works on long-term projects focused on history of war and conflicts, geopolitics, human rights, social and environmental issues. He has worked on the aftermath of the Syrian civil war focusing on the life of the refugees. His project “Beyond the Mushroom Cloud,” on the atomic bomb explosion history in Japan, stands against the use of nuclear weapons to promote world peace. In the U.S., Chowdhury explored the personal stories of immigrants, using photography as a medium for freedom of expression and inclusion. He has extensively worked on the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. There, he produced the body of work “Born Refugee” that deals with complex identity politics and citizenship issues. His work for the Disaster Emergency Committee helped to raise over 20 million pounds of funds for the Rohingya survivors. He has also been covering the impact of climate change on the frontline for nearly a decade.
Chowdhury’s work has been exhibited globally and appeared in the National Geographic Magazine, Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Time Magazine, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, etc.
Chowdhury was nominated for the Tim Hetherington Trust Visionary Award in 2020 for his ongoing multidisciplinary project, “Genocide’71-A Memory Map". For the same project he received The National Geographic Society Grant 2022. He has also received the HIPA Emerging Person in Photography Award, the UNICEF Photo of the Year Award, National Press Photo Award (NPPA), Picture of the Year International (POYI) Award, LensCulture Emerging Talent Award, Photo Philanthropy Activist Award, etc.
Searching for Lost Lives: Where Killing is a Means to Many Ends
Call of the Valley – Returning to Destroyed Village Life in Eastern Turkey
