Acting President Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said a documentary on the July mass uprising that does not show a photograph of Abu Sayeed cannot be called a documentary, and that former prime minister Khaleda Zia should also have been included.
He spoke on Wednesday, 5 August, at a state event marking July Martyrs Day at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.
Ahmed called Abu Sayeed the reflection and symbol of the revolution and said the documentary contained many errors.
He said the state minister for liberation war affairs had apologized over the issue and that people should have remained calm instead of staging a walkout as in parliament.
Ahmed also said the government is elected, that citizens should point out mistakes so they can be corrected, and that it would not be like the Awami League.
Before his speech, family members of martyrs and July fighters protested after the screening, saying the documentary did not adequately present the real history of the uprising, important events, and the martyrs' sacrifices.
Objections began as soon as the screening ended, with attendees rising and shouting their dissent, and the hall became tense.