Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Thousands of students on Wednesday staged demonstration to seek the highest penalty for the killers of Abrar Fahad, who was stabbed to death by Bangladesh Chhatra League men in a residential hall at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
The demonstrators have become angered as the BUET Vice-Chancellor did not show up on the campus after elapsing 36 hours of the brutal killing.
They have demanded that the university’s entry tests and academic activities be halted and called for an indefinite ban on student politics on the BUET campus. The students have taken to the BUET campus since Tuesday morning, pressing their eight-point demand.
The other demands are ensure capital punishment to the killers, identify the killers within 72 hours, expel them from BUET for life, dispose of the case quickly by shifting it to a tribunal, explain why BUET Vice-Chancellor did not show up on the campus even 36 hours after Abrar’s murder, expel all students who were involved with student harassment in the name of ragging from BUET within October 11, remove Sher-e-Bangla Hall provost within October 11 for his complete failure to protect the students, BUET administration must compensate Abrar’s family and bear all costs to conduct the case.
In the meantime, several hundred students brought out a procession on the campus around 10:30am and took position in front of the university Shaheed Minar after encircling the students’ halls and teachers’ quarters.
The protesters under the banner of General Students of BUET were chanting slogans demanding justice for the killing of their fellow Abrar.
Meanwhile the Teachers’ Association of BUET expressed solidarity with the students’ movement and said that there is no need of students’ politics on the campus.
Several hundred students besieged the office of VC Prof Dr Saiful Islam around 5:00pm keeping him inside the office to press home their eight-point demand, including punishment for the killers and expulsion of the accused from the engineering university.
Amid protest, the VC came out of the office around 6:00pm and assured the students to meet their demands. The BUET agitating students said they did not let him go out of the office as the VC could not give any clear assurance to meet their demands.
At one stage, the VC Saiful went back inside his office as he failed to convince the protesters.
Other demands include holding trial under Speedy Trial Tribunal and bearing the expenditure for conducting the legal procedure by the university administration.
Earlier, they also threatened to stage indefinite sit-in programme on the campus if the university vice-chancellor does not hold talks with them by 5:00pm on Tuesday.
The students also urged the university authorities to shut all kinds of academic and administrative activities, including first-year admission test, until police pressed charge sheet to court in Abrar murder case.
Besides, students of different universities also staged demonstration on their respective campuses protesting the murder of Abrar Fahad.
At DU, Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) social service secretary Aktar Hossain led the gayebana janaza at the foot of the Raju memorial sculpture on the campus in the afternoon.
Later, a large procession of students along with symbolic coffin entered BUET after paraded DU VC Chattar and Palashi. After staying there some time, they returned on DU campus.
In his brief speech after the gayebana janaza, DUCSU VP Nur claimed BUET’s brilliant student Fahad has been murdered for his criticism about Bangladesh’s recent deal with India.
He said, “Fahad was killed for criticizing anti-state deal with India. Fahad’s blood stained anti-state agreement will have to revised.”
Another gayebana janaza was held in Barishal district in the morning, reports our district Correspondent.
In Rajshahi University, more than 500 students protested the murder of Abrar Fahad and brought out a procession on the campus in the morning. Later, they held a protest rally demanding the capital punishment of the killers.
In Jahangirnagar University, students blocked Dhaka-Aricha highway demanding capital punishment to the killers of Abrar.
In Sylhet, students under the banner of ‘Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Sanrakshan Parishad, brought out a procession and formed a human chain demanding the punishment of the killers of Abrar.
In Cumilla, general people and students of different educational institutions including Cumilla University formed a human chain in front of Cumilla town hall around 10:00am with banners, posters and placards.
In Bogura, Bangladesh Chhatra Union of Bogura unit formed a human chain in Satmatha area of the town around 12:00noon with the same demand.
