Staff Reporter :
A student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was beaten to death early Monday allegedly by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men after being grilled him over two Facebook status.
The deceased has been identified as Abrar Fahad, a second-year student at Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department of BUET, Police and campus sources said.
A case was filed accusing 19 people, including detained BCL men, regarding Abrar murder with Chackbazar Police Station on Monday night, said OC Ali Hossain. Abrar’s father Barkatullah filed case with the police station around 8:10pm, the OC said.
Police recovered Abrar’s body from in front of Sher-e-Bangla Hall of BUET after the hall authorities informed them of the matter, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Lalbagh Division Kamal Hossain was quoted as saying.
Some of the hall residents claimed that Abrar was killed by the members of BCL student body of the ruling Awami League as he was called by the party activists for interrogation over his alleged involvement with Shibir.
While talking to reporters, Ashikul Islam Bitu, Assistant Secretary of Chhatra League (BUET unit) said, “Abrar was called from room No. 2011 of the hall at 8:00pm on Sunday on suspicion that he was a Shibir activist.
“We checked his Facebook and messenger and found evidence that he follows and likes some controversial pages. Evidence of his association with Shibir was also found,” he said.
“He was questioned by BCL Deputy Office Secretary (BUET unit), also a third-year student of Chemical Engineering Department Mujtaba Rafid, BCL Deputy Social Secretary Iftee Mosharraf Shokal and Deputy Law Secretary Amit Shaha,” Bitu said.
After getting some proof of his involvement with Shibir, some students of fourth year were asked to come to the room, the BCL man said.
BCL Sports Secretary (BUET unit) Meftahul Islam Zion, Information and Research Secretary Anik Sharkar came to the spot, Bitu further said.
“At one stage, I left the room. May be, they beat him up after that. Later around 3:00am, I heard Abrar died,” Bitu was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, students of the hall unwilling to be named alleged that Abrar was beaten to death by a cricket stump by BCL men after he was grilled on suspicion of Shibir involvement.
“Students of the hall called me around 3:00am. I went to the hall and saw the body near the stairs. By then he was dead. There were injury marks all over his body,” BUET’S physician Dr Mashuk Elahi told reporters. After inspecting Sher-e-Bangla Hall on the BUET campus where Abrar was beaten to dead, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DMP Abdul Baten said that they have identified six students based on CCTV footage.
Besides, a total of nine students have so far been detained for their alleged link to murder of Abrar Fahad, Additional Deputy Commissioner (crime) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Krishna Pada Roy, said while talking to reporters on BUET campus on Monday evening.
The detained men are nine BCL leaders, held over BUET student Abrar killing
All nine of the detainees are BCL’s BUET unit committee, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Krishanpad Roy.
“They are being questioned,” he said and added that the police were scrutinising the CCTV footage that they recovered.
The detainees are BCL’s BUET unit General Secretary Mehedi Hassan Rasel, Vice-President Mustakim Fuad, Assistant General Secretary Ashiqul Islam Bitu, Deputy Office Secretary Mujtaba Rafid, Deputy Social Welfare Secretary Iftee Mosharraf Shokal, Deputy Law Secretary Amit Shaha, Sports Secretary Sefayetul Islam Jion, Information and Research Secretary Anik Sarker and Library Affairs Secretary Ishtiaq Munshi.
According to the intelligence agencies Ishtiaq Munshi, a student of the Mechanical Department’s 15th batch carried out the killing.
Police are trying to detain the rest suspects in this connection, the DMP official said.
“Abrar Fahad died of “internal bleeding and excessive pain” as he was badly beaten up by blunt objects like cricket stumps or bamboo sticks, doctors at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) said after autopsy.
He had enough “extensive bruises” on his hands, legs and back to cause death, Sohel Mahmud, Head of Forensic Department of the DMCH told reporters yesterday.
