How July uprising survivor Atikul found his voice through TikTok

This year on 16 September, a young man named RJ Atikul Gazi made his debut on TikTok. Despite not having a limb, he is cheerful all the time. His positive attitude towards life, along with his dimpled smile have since won the hearts of social media audiences in the country.

"I'm not being sentimental, I speak from my conscience. You think I got scared? No! I'm not someone who backs down easily. Call on us, and you'll see – we're ready to fight again. Maybe one hand is gone. So what? I still have my life, and I'm ready to sacrifice it," he declared in his first TikTok post.

Hundreds of Bangladeshis have commented on the dozen videos Atikul has uploaded on TikTok so far. Most of his followers praise him for the sacrifice he made during the July uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina, the country's long-ruling autocrat. 

"You remind us of our July revolution," one of them wrote.  

However, there are also a few comments from 'sympathisers of the deposed autocratic regime'. 

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

"You will understand when the emotion fades," one of them wrote. Others have even warned him that he might have to beg for survival one day.

In his latest video, Atikul addresses his critics directly: "There's no point in making bad comments, brothers. To those who talk of begging – Inshallah, one day I will be the one providing you with alms."

After the autocrat's bullet claimed one of his hands, and he witnessed the horrors of police brutality in Uttara – where several fellow protesters were killed before his eyes – a new phase in Atikul's life began.

Yet, the memories of the 'Uttara warzone' still haunt him. Expressing his feelings on TikTok and engaging with others has become his way of staying on the path to healing and reintegrating into life.

What happened to Atikul?

It was 5 August, but 36 July on the calendar for the protesters. 

One man was shot in Uttara and Atikul rushed to his aid, but the bullet had pierced his skull. 

"He was beyond saving," a comrade told him. Still, Atikul insisted – who knows, maybe the doctors could save him. They lifted him onto a rickshaw, and instructed the puller to take him to a nearby hospital. 

Although Sheikh Hasina had already fled to India, her loyal police forces continued firing on protesters. "I begged them not to shoot us. I told them our fight wasn't with you. But they didn't listen," Atikul recalled. 

I want people to remember us. That they don't forget who we are and what we did. I will be there as a reminder of what we went through, what we earned and at what cost.

Soon, another man was shot. Atikul rushed to rescue him, but before he could reach him, a bullet struck his hand.  

Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Dhaka that afternoon, making moving around or getting transportation nearly impossible. 

Still, they managed to rush Atikul to a local hospital in Uttara where the bullet was removed. The doctors advised them to hurry to the National Institute of CardioVascular Diseases (NICVD) to save his arm. 

"It has to be within eight hours if you want to save your arm," they said. 

However, according to Atikul, doctors at NICVD neglected his treatment, wasting an entire day before transferring him to National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). By then it was too late – his limb had to be amputated to save his life.  

While the rest of Bangladesh - still soaked in the blood of its July martyrs - was sinking in the newfound freedom after its autocrat ruler fled, Atikul was paying a heavy price for his valiant stand. 

"When they started the machine to sever my hand, I could feel myself slipping away. I knew I was being crippled forever," he told us. 

A smiling Atikul ready for another fight  

The July uprising in Bangladesh was not about a single hero. It was a mass uprising, which means people from all walks of life took to the streets against Hasina's brutal regime. 

Hundreds of people were ruthlessly killed by Hasina's forces, and thousands were severely injured, including dozens who lost their limbs. 

Atikul is one of the many heroes and survivors. 

However, he particularly won hearts after a smiling photo of him with his one limb went viral. He said if need be, he was ready to fight for the nation again and sacrifice his remaining limb, and his life. 

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

Atikul used to work as a salesman at Rajlokkhi Complex in Uttara. The youngest of five siblings, he couldn't continue his studies after class 10 because of poverty. 

Although his father now owns a modest furniture showroom in Uttara, his siblings still work as day labourers. 

"When I saw our student brothers were being killed, I couldn't stay safe at home," he said. "I hid them from my parents and employer and attended all the protests in Uttara from 18 July onwards." 

He was wounded multiple times before 5 August, but nothing could hold him. He showed us marks in his body where rubber bullets pierced through. 

Atikul is not entirely recovered yet, but he can move around, meet people and make TikTok videos. 

"I hated TikTok before," he said. "But after I lost my arm and my struggle helped to free Bangladesh, I decided to engage with people through this medium." 

"I want people to remember us. That they don't forget who we are and what we did. I will be there as a reminder of what we went through, what we earned and at what cost."