BUET vice-chancellor wants swift execution of Abrar murder case verdict

Satya Prasad Majumder, vice-chancellor of BUET, has expressed his satisfaction over the verdict in the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad and demanded a speedy execution of the sentences.

A Dhaka court sentenced 20 people to death and five others to life in prison for the 2019 murder of the student, who was beaten to death by Chhatra League activists.

“We believe the highest punishment was reflected in the verdict and it should be executed as soon as possible,” the vice chancellor said.

The verdict is a warning to the students in the colleges and universities across Bangladesh, said Prof Md Mizanur Rahman, student welfare adviser of BUET.

“A strong message will be disseminated through this verdict that the highest punishment awaits anyone committing such an offence in educational institutes. I believe it will reduce the torture of students in the residential halls to some extent,” he said.  

Abrar, a resident of the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall, had criticised the government over a water-sharing deal with India on Facebook. He was subsequently taken to the room of a BCL leader on the night of Oct 6, 2019, and murdered.

The incident sparked fury among students and led to the authorities imposing a ban on student politics.

All of the 25 suspects eventually named in the case were BUET students and Chhatra League activists. Three of them were tried in absentia.

The trial began on Sept 15, 2020. Following the arguments from both sides, it ended on Nov 14 this year. The judge set Nov 28 for the verdict. The verdict was, however, deferred to Dec 8 as the court said it needed ‘a bit more time’ to finish writing it.

Accordingly, the suspects were brought to the court on Wednesday. The judge announced the verdict in presence of 22 suspects.