The mother of the BUET student beaten to death by the Chhatra League asks for law enforcers to arrest all of her son’s killers
Published : 07 Oct 2024, 12:36 PM
Rokeya Khatun, the mother of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology student Abrar Fahad, says she felt delirious when she received his mobile phone and laptop back from the police.
“If I only knew how this mobile phone would darken our lives. If I had known that a Facebook post from his mobile would snatch away his life, I would never have given it to him,” she said.
This bdnews24.com correspondent spoke to Rokeya at her home on Kushtia’s PTI Road on Sunday, the fifth anniversary of Abrar’s death. Abrar’s father, Barkatullah, is an auditor for BRAC and lives in Dhaka. His mother now lives alone.
On the night of Oct 6, 2019, Abrar died after a brutal beating from a group of Chhatra League leaders and activists at BUET’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall. He was a second-year student at the university’s Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
Rokeya has taken great care to preserve her son’s wristwatch, two mobile phones, laptop, prayer cap, rosary, brush, chocolates, shoes, clothes, university ID card, and all the other daily things he would use.
Rokeya lives on the ground floor of a three-storey building. One room is kept very tidy. On one side of the bed, a cupboard holds all the prizes her son won throughout his life. The last clothes she bought for her son are also in the collection. His books are arranged in stacks.
Rokeya spends her lonely days with the memory of her son wandering through the house.
“My son left this world on Sunday, Oct 6. Five years later, today is also a Sunday and also Oct 6. It was on this very day [five years ago] that I took my son to the bus in the morning.”
“He called me repeatedly to inform me how far along the way he was. There was no traffic congestion, but he kept saying that there were delays. Maybe this was the last journey of his life.”
Tears began streaming down her face as she spoke of her son. She wiped her eyes with her clothes and said: “No one came forward that day. There were so many students. There were guards. But none came forward.”
“They killed my son, saying he was a member of the ‘Shibir’ [Islamic Chhatra Shibir]. He died in pain. My son’s words still ring in my ears. It has been five years, but I haven’t been able to forget them.”
Abrar always wrote with love about his country, his mother said.
“My son wrote about hilsa fish on Facebook for the people of the country. He wrote about the unfairness of the water deal.”
“He loved this country very much. He did not write on Facebook for any party or any politics. We all want the regular people of the country to be well.”
Two years and two months after Abrar’s death, Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Abu Jafar Md Kamruzzaman sentenced 20 people to death and five others to life in prison for the murder on Dec 8, 2021. The case is now pending an appeal with the High Court. The death references for the accused will be heard as well.
Rokeya has demanded the speedy execution of the sentences.
“Three of the suspects are still absconding. They should be arrested quickly and the verdict carried out quickly as well. But I am worried that the murderers have escaped from jail.”