Hasan Mahmud :
The students of the Jagannath University (JnU) blocked the Gulistan-Sadarghat Road on Thursday in protest against the murder of the fellow student Nazim Uddin Samad Wednesday night. The four hours blockade caused untold sufferings to the city residents, as no bus, mini-bus and taxi were allowed to ply on.
According to eyewitnesses, the students of the University brought out a protest procession from the university’s Liberation War Sculpture at 9 am boycotting classes and examinations. Then, they surrounded the administrative building of the university and held a brief rally taking position in front of the building where they demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits within 48 hours. They threatened to call strike for indefinite time if their demand will not fulfil within the time.
After that, the agitated students started demonstration in front of the university main gate igniting fire to halt traffic from Gulistan to Sadarghat from 10am to 2pm.
Kotwali Thana Officer in-charge Abul Hassan said, “The students have burnt tyres and blocked road for four hours. But the situation is under control.”
“Extra forces have been deployed to check chaos in this area”, he said.
Progressive Students Alliance of the university declared their solidarity with the demonstrators.
Coordinator of the ‘Ganojagoran Manch’ and the President of Bangladesh Chhatra Union Lucky Akhter said, “As a secular blogger, Nazim had a loud voice against any social injustice.”
“By killing outspoken thinkers, anti-liberation forces, who are also the collaborators of Pakistan, want to smash our values”, said Lucky.
Sutrapur Thana OC Tapan Kumar Paul said that Samad was the target for his adherence to atheism and for his supporting towards ‘Ganojagoran Manch’.
JnU Proctor Dr Noor Mohammad said, “We have already submitted a Memorandum to the DC (Police) of Wari Zone and demanded capital punishment to the killers.”
“We are trying whatever we can do to support Nazim’s family,” the Proctor said.
Nazim Uddin Samad, 28, a student of the evening session of the Department of Law of Jagannath University, was hacked and shot dead by unidentified assailants at Ekrampur of Sutrapur area in the capital on Wednesday night. He was an activist of Sylhet ‘Ganojagoran Manch’ and an atheist blogger.
However, assailants hacked at least four atheist bloggers to death and a secular publisher in a long-running series of targeted killings of secular activists last year.
