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Published : 16 Mar 2025, 08:16 PM
Rokeya Khatun, the mother of slain BUET student Abrar Fahad, has called for the prompt execution of the High Court verdict in the case over her son’s murder in 2019.
On Sunday, she said: “I’ve only one demand now - execute the verdict swiftly.”
Earlier in the day, the High Court upheld the death sentences for 20 people and life imprisonment for five others for Abrar’s murder.
The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict after reviewing the death references and appeals from the defendants.
Among the death-row convicts, four are on the run.
Speaking at her home at Kushtia after the verdict, Rokeya said: “The people of the country have been with us for six years since [Abrar’s murder]. No one moved away from us. I’m grateful to everyone for that.”
"If this verdict is implemented, no one will dare do such a thing in future. Along with that, such deadly politics should not exist on campuses of all higher educational institutions in the country, that’s my request."
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.
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.
