Bangladesh, Aug. 21 -- Backpack on her shoulders, stick in hand, bloodied face behind her glasses -- the image of a young woman, hunched over and bruised from a beating, became "the turning point" of the July protests.

That woman, Sanjida Ahmed Tonni, is now contesting the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election for the post of research and publication secretary.

Tonni, a master's student at Dhaka University, came under attack on Jul 15 during the student protests when members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League stormed the campus.

Her bloodied image, widely shared on social and news media, stirred public outrage and added momentum to the movement that eventually saw the fall of the Awami League government.

Now, student...