13/12/2025
Spirits of July appears before you today with a deeply sorrowful and heavy heart. On one hand, there is the pain of being unable to successfully organize the event we had hoped for; on the other, the heartbreaking news of a life-threatening attack on our fellow comrade of the July Movement, Osman Hadi Bhai. Both incidents have profoundly shaken us. At this moment, our only prayer to Almighty Allah is that Osman Hadi Bhai recovers swiftly and returns safely among us.
As you are all aware, just like last year, Spirits of July had sincerely taken the initiative to independently organize a charity concert for you once again this year. However, due to prevailing realities and the complexity of the overall situation, it was not possible to bring this initiative to fruition.
Subsequently, when Main Stage Inc expressed its goodwill to donate 40 percent of the total profit from their organized concert—through us—to the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation, we joined the initiative as co-organizers. Prior to our involvement, Main Stage had already initiated all necessary documentation and administrative procedures required to organize the concert. After joining, we also actively participated in completing this paperwork process. It is noteworthy that Main Stage paid a substantial amount in taxes to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
We would like to assure everyone that there was no negligence or lack of diligence on the part of either Spirits of July or Main Stage in the preparation of the event. However, at the final stage of the documentation process, due to security concerns regarding large public gatherings, we did not receive the final approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs at the last moment. As a result, after discussion with the artist Atif Aslam, we were compelled to take the decision to cancel the scheduled program on the 13th.
We fully understand the disappointment and hardship faced by all ticket purchasers. Although Spirits of July was not involved in ticket sales in any capacity, out of our moral commitment to the spirit of July, we secured a firm assurance from Main Stage that all ticket holders will receive a full refund.
The position of the Ministry of Home Affairs is realistic—under the current circumstances, ensuring one hundred percent security for any large public gathering is not possible. This reality is understood by all of us.
In addition, Spirits of July clearly announces that we will be filing a writ petition before the High Court very soon, requesting the government to declare a clear and specific roadmap regarding the organization of concerts. This will help ensure that, in the future, both ticket purchasers and event organizers are not subjected to financial or other forms of loss.
Finally, we at Spirits of July pray for a stable, safe, and humane Bangladesh—where every individual can continue their daily life freely, safely, and without disruption.
