Home
+
Published : 16 May 2026, 09:41 PM
Police have arrested Prof Md Hasibur Rashid, the former vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR), in Dhaka's Mohammadpur.
He was earlier sentenced in a case over the killing of university student Abu Sayed.
Mohammadpur Police chief Mezbah Uddin confirmed that a team apprehended Prof Rashid in a residence on Salimullah Road on Friday evening.
The officer added that police are currently verifying the total number of cases pending against him.
Prof Rashid was convicted in a murder case over the death of Sayed during the July Uprising, which led to the fall of the Awami League government.
Following the student-led protests, he resigned on Aug 8, 2024, three days after the government was toppled.
Prof Rashid had been a fugitive since the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 issued an arrest warrant against him and 29 others in a crimes-against-humanity case filed over the killing of Sayed, the first “martyr” of the Uprising.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In his resignation letter to the president, the professor cited “personal and family” reasons.
He assumed the duties of vice-chancellor on Jun 14, 2021.
On Jul 16, 2024, Sayed, a student of the Department of Economics, was killed outside the university in police fire.
The interim government, which came to power after the Awami League regime’s ouster, considered the attempts to suppress the July Uprising as crimes against humanity and initiated proceedings at the ICT.
His murder case also came before the tribunal.
The tribunal’s investigation report revealed the involvement of 30 people in Sayed’s murder.
On Jun 24, 2025, investigation agency officials submitted the report to the chief prosecutor's office.
On Jun 30, the tribunal took cognisance of the charges. At the same time, arrest warrants were issued for the absconding suspects.
On Aug 6 of that year, the ICT-2 began the trial of this case by framing formal charges against the 30 suspects.
