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Published : 07 Oct 2025, 05:45 PM
The passage of time has done little to erase the grief of Rokeya Khatun.
Six years have passed since her son, Abrar Fahad, was savagely beaten to death, yet she remains in a trance, unable to fully accept the loss. Every day, she waits for the impossible -- a call from her son, calling her “mother” once more.
On Oct 6, 2019, Abrar, a second-year student at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was tortured and killed by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Awami League.
The vicious killing sent shockwaves through the university, sparking protests and calls for accountability. But for Rokeya, the anguish has not faded with time.
In a conversation with bdnews24.com, she confided: “Six years! It’s been such a long time, my boy isn’t here. How cruelly they killed him. I hope that the sentences given to the killers are executed. I hope this government will execute the sentence and settle the case.”
The murder of Abrar was a sadistic and senseless act that followed his Facebook post, where he voiced opposition to an agreement between Bangladesh and India.
The Chhatra League members, suspecting him of being involved with the Islamist student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir, dragged him to a room at Sher-e-Bangla Hall and tortured him for hours. His body was discovered the following morning, leaving behind a bereaved family and an outraged campus.
Following the murder, Abrar’s father, Barkat Ullah, filed a case with Chawkbazar Police Station in Dhaka. The high-profile case moved through the courts, and on Sept 15, 2020, formal charges were framed. After years of hearings, a verdict was delivered on Dec 8, 2021: 20 individuals were sentenced to death, and five others received life imprisonment.
The High Court upheld the sentences in March 2023, bringing some semblance of justice to the grieving family. But for Rokeya, the court’s decision cannot bring back her son.
“In words, I say that my son is dead. But I can't believe that he won’t come back. I still think that Abrar will come back and call me mother. I don't let anyone touch his belongings,” she said, her voice filled with unshakable sorrow.
Now living in Dhaka after leaving her hometown of Kushtia, Rokeya continues to struggle with her grief. Her younger son, Abrar Fayaz, is studying at BUET now, and although he plans to move abroad after his studies, Rokeya is not ready to let go.
“I won’t get to see him (when he moves abroad). And I feel very down living without him. So, I rented a house in Dhaka and started living with my son,” she shared, reflecting the heartache of a mother who has lost one child and fears losing another.
Barkat Ullah, Abrar’s father, expressed his hopes that the Appellate Division would uphold the death sentences, saying:
“The High Court upheld the lower court's verdict. I hope the Appellate Division upholds it as well. Hopefully, this government will execute the verdict.”
He, however, continues to demand that the remaining absconding convicts be apprehended.
“Four of the 25 convicts are still absconding. I have been running after the case for the past six years. It feels like my life has ended. We could be at peace if the verdict was executed,” he added with a weary resignation.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The details of what happened to Abrar that night are harrowing.
All 25 suspects were BUET students and active members of the Chhatra League. Eight of the arrested individuals admitted their guilt and gave confessional statements, recounting the brutal torture of Abrar. The victim was clobbered with cricket stumps and skipping ropes for hours, enduring unimaginable suffering before his life was cruelly snuffed out.
On that fateful night, Abrar was lured to room No. 2011 at Sher-e-Bangla Hall, where he was tortured for hours. His body was abandoned in an unconscious state between the first and ground floors. Doctors later declared him dead.
Abrar’s last Facebook post, in which he criticised the Bangladesh-India agreement, was used as a pretext for his murder by the Chhatra League activists, who suspected him of being a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami student wing, Shibir.
The murder sparked widespread protests among BUET students, who demanded justice for their fallen peer. The BUET Teachers’ Association and former students also expressed solidarity, further intensifying the call for accountability.
In response to the protests, the university administration took swift action, temporarily expelling the accused, imposing a ban on student politics, and pledging to address the rampant culture of violence in the campus.
THE CONVICTS
Sentenced to Death:
Mehedi Hasan Russell – BUET Chhatra League general secretary (civil engineering, 13th batch); Mehedi Hasan Robin – organisational secretary (chemical engineering, 15th batch); Anik Sarkar Apu – information & research secretary (mechanical engineering, 15th batch); Moniruzzaman Monir – literature secretary (water resources engineering, 16th batch) Meftahul Islam Jion – sports secretary (marine engineering, 15th batch); Ifti Mosharraf Sakal – deputy social welfare secretary (biomedical engineering, 16th batch); Muntasir Al Jemi – member (MI Department); Mozahidur Rahman – member (EEE, 16th batch); Hossain Mohammad Toha – Member (ME, 17th batch); Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim – Member (CE, 17th batch); Shamim Billah – Member (marine engineering, 17th batch); Majedur Rahman Majed – member (MME, 17th batch); Khondker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir – member (ME, 17th batch); Morshed-uz-Zaman Mondal Jishan – Member (EEE, 16th batch); SM Nazmus Sadat – member (ME, 17th batch); Morshed Amartya Islam – Member (ME, 17th batch); Mizanur Rahman – member (water resources engineering, 16th batch); Shamsul Arefin Rafat – member (ME); Mujtaba Rafid – deputy office secretary (chemical engineering); SM Mahmud Setu – member (chemical engineering).
Life Imprisonment:
Muhtashim Fuad – vice president of BUET Chhatra League (CE, 14th batch); Ishtiaque Ahmed Munna – publication secretary (ME, 3rd year); Amit Saha – deputy law secretary (civil engineering); Akash Hossain – member (CE, 16th batch); Moaz Abu Horayra – member (CSE, 17th batch).
Fugitives:
Muntasir Al Jemi; Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim; Morshed-uz-Zaman Mondal Jisan; and Mujtaba Rafid.
Defence counsel Azizur Rahman Dulu said, “During the death reference hearing in the High Court, 15 submissions were presented by the accused. I presented six submissions on behalf of Morshed Amatya Islam. But the issues were not refuted in the court. Will present all these to the Appellate Division.”
He said, "The appeal is not being heard due to the backlog of cases. There is no negligence on our part. We will present our arguments to the Appellate Division. Hopefully, we will get justice."
