BUET students resume protests over Abrar murder ahead of meeting with VC

Disgruntled students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology have resumed their protests over the murder of their peer Abrar Fahad for a fifth day.

Student protesters gathered in front of the Shaheed Minar around 10:30 am on Friday to press for their 10-point charter of demands as the campus reverberated with angry slogans.   

They are poised to meet with Vice-Chancellor Saiful Islam at BUET's auditorium around 5 pm after threatening to lock the gates of all university building should their demands go unheeded.

Their demands include capital punishment for the killers and their expulsion, the university bearing the costs of the legal action and compensating Abrar's family, a fast-tracked trial in a speedy tribunal, immediate submission of the charge-sheet, disclosure of all previous incidents of violence and a ban on organisation-based politics in the university, among others.

Addressing the media around 11 pm, Mahmudur Rahman Sayem, a spokerperson for the protesters, said, "We haven't seen any tangible progress towards implementing the 10 demands that we've put forth. The administration is showing a lack of conviction to realise the demands."

He said the VC wanted to sit down with a delegation of current students without any media presence. But the protesters have made it clear that representatives from four current batches will hold talks with VC Saiful in the presence of reporters.

Sayem said students with BUET ID cards will be allowed into the auditorium along with two members from every television channel, daily newspaper and online news outlet on the condition that they refrain from broadcasting the event or asking any questions to the VC during the discussion.

Abrar, a second year electrical engineering student, was bludgeoned to death inside the university's Sher-e-Bangla Hall on Sept 6. The protesters were particularly aggrieved by Vice Chancellor Saiful Islam's failure to address the issue to the students for over 30 hours after the incident.

He faced the protesters' wrath when he came to the campus 30 hours after the incident on Tuesday. The demonstrators laid a siege to his office for over four hours.

He faced public anger again when he went to meet Abrar’s family in Kushtia the following day. Angry residents of the area barred him from visiting Abrar’s home.

Associations of BUET’s teachers and alumni have demanded his resignation for his “failure” to perform his duties.

BUET Directorate of Students’ Welfare Director Mizanur Rahman said VC Saiful had been scheduled to meet the protesters on Thursday evening, but the meeting did not take place.