HC upholds death sentences for 20, life terms for 5 in Abrar Fahad murder

The court delivers the verdict after a hearing on the death references and appeals by the defendants

The High Court has upheld the death sentences for 20 people and life imprisonment for five others in the 2019 murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad.

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict on Sunday after reviewing the death references and appeals from the defendants.

Reacting to the verdict, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman said: "Abrar’s father is here beside me, and he has received justice. The entire nation has received justice. This verdict upholds the principles of justice and order in society. It reinforces the judiciary’s role in ensuring fairness."

"No matter how powerful you are or how much influence you have behind you, truth and justice will ultimately prevail."

Commenting on the court’s observations, Asaduzzaman added: "The lower court’s findings were clear, and there is no scope for interference here."

Addressing the death reference appeal, he clarified that a criminal petition was not required, as it was a "matter of right".

"ABRAR'S DEATH SHOOK NATION'S CONSCIENCE"

Reflecting on his arguments in court, the attorney quoted Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, saying: "Some deaths are as heavy as a mountain, while others are as light as a feather. Abrar’s death weighs on us like a mountain.

"It has shaken the very foundation of the nation’s moral conscience. His murder has exposed how political fascism can grow unchecked over time. At the same time, his death reminds us that no matter how powerful fascism becomes, the innate humanity within people will eventually awaken."

He added that Abrar's sacrifice had saved countless bright students in educational institutions, noting that it was public outrage that ensured justice for him.

Addressing the media, Abrar's father expressed concerns about the youth being misled by political influence. "If children fall into bad company or get involved in destructive politics, their parents suffer the most. I appeal to students to stay away from such harmful activities," he said.

On the night of Oct 6, 2019, BUET’s second-year student Abrar was tortured to death at the Sher-e-Bangla Hall by leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student affiliate of the Awami League. The incident sparked outrage across the university, leading to a campus-wide ban on student politics.

Following the incident, Abrar's father filed a murder case at Chawkbazar Police Station in Dhaka.

The high-profile case went to trial on Sept 15, 2020, after formal charges were framed. Following arguments from both sides, the trial court delivered a verdict on Dec 8, 2021, sentencing 20 people to death and five others to life imprisonment.

Among the convicts, three have been absconding since the beginning of the case. Of the remaining 22, death-row convict Muntasir Al Jemi managed to escape from prison.

Following the Awami League government's overthrow by a mass uprising last year, Muntasir broke out of Gazipur's High Security Central Jail on Aug 6. The jailbreak came to light in February, prompting hundreds of BUET students to stage protests on campus on Feb 24.

The case dossier offered harrowing accounts of how Abrar was clobbered with cricket stumps and skipping ropes for hours before his eventual death.

The BCL activists later dropped Abrar's body from a staircase of Sher-e-Bangla Hall before doctors pronounced him dead in the morning.

The accused were members of the BCL’s BUET unit. They were expelled after the incident.

Police arrested 21 people for the killing. Another suspect later turned himself in to court.

On Nov 13 of that year, police submitted a chargesheet against 25 people.

On Dec 8, 2021, a tribunal sentenced 20 BUET students to death and five others to life imprisonment in connection with the case. The case is currently awaiting appeal hearings and death reference review in the High Court.

On Aug 6 last year, just one day after the Awami League government was overthrown by a mass uprising, Muntasir Al Jemi, a death-row convict in the case, reportedly escaped from prison by breaking through the walls along with several other inmates.

The incident sparked outrage across the university, leading to a campus-wide ban on student politics.

THE CONVICTS

Sentenced to Death:

Mehedi Hasan Russell – BUET Chhatra League general secretary (civil engineering, 13th batch); Mehedi Hasan Robin – organisational secretary (chemical engineering, 15th batch); Anik Sarkar Apu – information & research secretary (mechanical engineering, 15th batch); Moniruzzaman Monir – literature secretary (water resources engineering, 16th batch) Meftahul Islam Jion – sports secretary (marine engineering, 15th batch); Ifti Mosharraf Sakal – deputy social welfare secretary (biomedical engineering, 16th batch); Muntasir Al Jemi – member (MI Department); Mozahidur Rahman – member (EEE, 16th batch); Hossain Mohammad Toha – Member (ME, 17th batch); Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim – Member (CE, 17th batch); Shamim Billah – Member (marine engineering, 17th batch); Majedur Rahman Majed – member (MME, 17th batch); Khondker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir – member (ME, 17th batch); Morshed-uz-Zaman Mondal Jishan – Member (EEE, 16th batch); SM Nazmus Sadat – member (ME, 17th batch); Morshed Amartya Islam – Member (ME, 17th batch); Mizanur Rahman – member (water resources engineering, 16th batch); Shamsul Arefin Rafat – member (ME); Mujtaba Rafid – deputy office secretary (chemical engineering); SM Mahmud Setu – member (chemical engineering).

Life Imprisonment:

Muhtashim Fuad – vice president of BUET Chhatra League (CE, 14th batch); Ishtiaque Ahmed Munna – publication secretary (ME, 3rd year); Amit Saha – deputy law secretary (civil engineering); Akash Hossain – member (CE, 16th batch); Moaz Abu Horayra – member (CSE, 17th batch).

Fugitives:

Muntasir Al Jemi; Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim; Morshed-uz-Zaman Mondal Jisan; and Mujtaba Rafid.