22 accused of murdering BUET student Abrar plead not guilty

The 22 people behind bars on charges of murdering Abrar Fahad, a student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology or BUET, have pleaded not guilty.

They gave their statements defending themselves to judge Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman of the Dhaka’s Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 on Sunday.

Noting that 46 people testified against them, the judge asked them whether they are guilty of the charges brought against them. All of them claimed innocence.

Earlier, the state's lawyer Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan presented a summary of the background of the case and statements of the witnesses against the accused.

Out of the accused, Meftahul Islam Jion, Ishtiak Ahmed Munna and Mehedi Hasan Russel said they would testify at the court to defend them while Russel said he would present five defence witnesses.

The judge set Mar 31 and Apr 1 as the dates to record the testimonies.

The court will pronounce the verdict after recording the testimonies and hearing of

arguments in the case. Three others accused in the case are on the run.

Abrar, a student of electrical and electronic engineering at BUET, was tortured to death at its Sher-e-Bangla Hall in October 2019.

Most of the accused were members of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s BUET unit. They were expelled after the incident, following which BUET banned organisational political activities on the campus amid student protests.