The High Court on Monday cleared the way for the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka to continue the trial of all 25 accused in connection with the murder of Abrar Fahad, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
The HC rejected a petition filed by 22 accused of the case, seeking its order for transferring the case from the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka. The Bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice Shahed Nuruddin passed the rejection order,
considering that the petition was not moved properly. Lawyer Mansurul Hoque Chowdhury appeared for the accused petitioners, while deputy attorney general Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar represented the state during the virtual hearing on the petition.
The 22 accused, who are now in jail, submitted the petition last week seeking HC order for transferring the Abrar Fahad murder case from the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka apprehending that they ‘will not get justice’ from the tribunal.
In the petition, they expressed no confidence in the judge of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman.
The judge on September 9 this year opened the trial of all 25 accused after framing charges against them in connection with the murder of Abrar Fahad.
Abrar Fahad, a second-year-student of the university’s electrical and electronic engineering department, was beaten to death allegedly by some BCL leaders between 10.00 pm on October 6 and 2:00 am on October 7 last year.
Later, Abrar’s father Barkat Ullah filed a murder case against 19 BCL leaders of BUET unit with the Chawkbazar Police Station.
The incident triggered a firestorm of protests on campuses across the country. Many took to social media to demand justice for Abrar.
Amid protests on the campus, BUET authorities on October 11 last year banned all political activities on the campus and suspended 19 students, mostly leaders of the university’s BCL unit who were made accused in Abrar Fahad murder case.
On November 13 last year, Investigation Officer of the case, inspector Md Wahiduzzaman, placed the charge sheet in the general register office of the chief metropolitan magistrate court of Dhaka accusing 25 students of BUET.
Of them, 21 accused were earlier arrested and one accused surrendered in the court later. During the investigation, eight of the accused gave confessional statements to magistrates on different dates. Three of the accused have been absconding since the incident.
Following the charge sheet, the court had issued arrest warrants against them. The court also ordered to publish advertisements in two national dailies asking the three fugitives to appear before the court within a stipulated period. But the three fugitives are yet to surrender to the court.
