Title: Echoes of Solidarity: Feminist Resistance and Collective Action in Narir Dake Maitree Jatra

With the political transition in July 2024 and the increased debates over gendered justice, the Women’s March for Solidarity (known as the “Narir Dake Maitree Jatra”) was organised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Various national and international media outlets reported it is a significant women -led resistance in contemporary Bangladesh. On 16th May 2025, the march brought together at least ten thousand women with from diverse occupations and political backgrounds., including female activists, sex workers, street vendors, transgender individuals, indigenous people, students, and human rights experts. After the establishment of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission on 18 November 2024 by the Interim Government of Bangladesh, about 433 reform proposals were submitted. Comprehensively aimed at erasing discrimination against women, these 433 proposals for equal property rights, labor rights, political representation, and a uniform family code faced strong opposition from two prominent Islamist groups named Hefazat-e Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami, suggesting that these policies went against local culture and religion. Consequently, the demonstrations, organised by the so-called Islamist groups, opposed various policy change proposals made by various women’s organisations and activists in the aftermath of the political transition. In the unsettledness caused by the political transition, the Women’s March for Solidarity is interpreted by many as a collective response aimed at protecting women’s rights against deceptive public narratives, moral regulation, and religious backlash. This paper examines how the march for solidarity addressed misinformation, moral policing, and religious incitement, and what it reveals about feminist resistance in Bangladesh. Rather than viewing Resistance only through confrontation, the paper examines empirically how participants and organizers addressed and challenged fear, rumors, and social pressure in the protest. The paper used a qualitative method involving interviews with participants, along with the primary analysis of media reports, public statements, close reading of slogans, declarations, visual symbols, and protest performances. This study contributes to feminist scholarship and resistance studies by: (1) contesting sociopolitical narratives, (2) building legitimacy for marginalized groups, and (3) creating broad alliances for the safety and inclusion of all social beings. The findings offer insights into the mechanisms of gendered resistance countering misinformation, resisting moral regulation, and sustaining collective action in politically hostile environments. Keywords: Feminist resistance, legitimacy, solidarity, challenging narratives, creating alliances, countering misinformation, collective action amidst hostility