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BUET student Abrar murder case

19 sued, 9 arrested


Published : 07 Oct 2019 09:42 PM | Updated : 04 Sep 2020 05:29 PM

A case has been filed on Monday night against 19 leaders and activists of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) over suspected involvement in the brutal killing of Abrar Fahad, a 21-year-old. Abrar was beaten to death at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall on Sunday night, said police sources.

Students of the hall claimed to media on Monday morning that Abrar Fahad, a 21-year-old BUET student of the hall, was beaten to death by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders of BUET unit. “We have detained nine students over Abrar murder,” Krishna Pada Roy, additional deputy commissioner (crime) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said while talking to reporters on BUET campus on Monday evening.

Earlier, after inspecting Sher-e-Bangla hall on the Buet campus where Abrar was beaten dead, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DMP Abdul Baten told reporters that they have identified six students based on CCTV footage and four out of the six students are already in the police custody.

Witnesses said the BCL leaders took Abrar to room number 2011 in the evening and later, on early Monday, his body was recovered from a stairway of Sher-e-Bangla Hall. Buet Medical Officer Dr Md Mashuk Elahi pronounced him dead around 3am, saying, “It is being suspected that he has been beaten to death.”

Police, by Monday afternoon, detained eight suspects for alleged involvement in the killing. Police said initial investigations indicate that Abrar, whose body was recovered from the stairway of his dormitory in the early hours of Monday, was beaten to death. Abrar was called up from his room at 7:30 pm on Sunday, said police, quoting the students of the hall. “Later, his body was found on the first-floor stairway at 2 am.”

The victim was a second year student of electrical and engineering department of the university, and a resident of the hall. “BUET BCL unit information and research affairs secretary Anik Sarker; deputy law affairs secretary and also a fourth-year student of mechanical engineering department Amit Saha; deputy office secretary and third-year student of chemical engineering department Mujtaba Rafid; deputy social service secretary and third-year student of biomedical engineering department Ifti Mosharraf Sakal; and sports secretary and third-year student of naval architecture and marine engineering department Meftahul Islam Zion allegedly took Abrar to the room to interrogate him about his involvement with the politics of Islami Chhatra Shibir, Jamaat Islami-backed student organisation,” BUET BCL unit assistant secretary Ashikul Islam Bitu told the media Monday morning.

He claimed that they found evidence of his involvement with Shibir politics after checking his cell phone, laptop and Facebook profile. At that point, he left the room and he did not know if the BCL men tortured Abrar later, Bitu claimed. Students alleged that Abrar’s last Facebook post was the reason behind his killing. In his last Facebook post which went viral since Monday morning, Abrar Fahad criticised Bangladesh’s agreement with India allowing the country to withdraw water from Feni river.

The victim’s family, however, claimed that Abrar was not involved in any political activities. Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the perpetrators will face actions. “You can’t just beat someone to death for having a different opinion,” he told reporters at Secretariat. “The authorities concerned have been asked to take steps in this regard.”

ADC Krishnapad Roy said that the Detective Branch of Police and Crime Investigation Department seized some evidences from the crime scene that suggested that Abrar was tortured. “We have detained nine students over Abrar murder,” Krishna Pada Roy, additional deputy commissioner (crime) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said while talking to reporters on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) campus on Monday evening.

Earlier, after inspecting Sher-e-Bangla hall on the Buet campus where Abrar was beaten dead, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DMP Abdul Baten told reporters that they have identified six students based on CCTV footage and four out of the six students are already in the police custody.

Meanwhile, police on Monday noon detained two BCL leaders of Buet unit over suspected involvement in the killing. Chawkbazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Sohrab Hossain said, “We detained two BCL leaders of Buet unit for their suspected involvement in the death of Abrar Fahad.”

The detainees are – General Secretary Mehedi Hasan Rasel and Vice-President Muttakim Fuhad. “We detained them for questioning over Abrar’s death,” he added. Meanwhile, several hundred students of Dhaka University, led by Ducsu Vice-President Nurul Haque Nur, brought out a protest procession on the campus.