Miscreants set fire to the country's first July Martyrs Memorial in Narayanganj early Tuesday, prompting police to launch an investigation.

The memorial, located in the Hajiganj area on the Chashara-Adamjee Road, was inaugurated on July 14, 2025 in memory of those killed during the July-August 2024 mass uprising. It was the first July Martyrs Memorial established in the country.

According to police, decorative cloth were installed around the memorial for a tribute programme held on July 16, marking July Shaheed Day.

Around 3:00am on Tuesday, two men arriving on a motorcycle threw a small cloth bundle soaked in kerosene or another petroleum substance after setting it on fire. The burning bundle landed beside the memorial, igniting a fire near the structure.

Officers stationed at a temporary police camp near the site quickly extinguished the blaze, preventing further damage.

According to police, an unidentified person recorded a video of the incident, which was later circulated on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Tarek Al Mehedi said they were working to identify the perpetrators through analysing CCTV footage from nearby roads and buildings.

He also said it will be known only after investigation whether activists of Awami League, which faces a ban on its activities, were involved in the incident.

Officer-in-Charge of Fatullah Model Police Station Md Mahbub Alam also said they were investigating the incident.