Murder of Abrar Fahad

Abrar Fahad (12 February 1998 - 7 October 2019), a second year student of electrical and electronic engineering department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was tortured and then killed by BUET's Chhatra League leaders inside BUET's Sher-e-Bangla Hall. The motive for the crime was Fahad's last Facebook post where he expressed his critical views about Bangladesh's agreement with India allowing the country to withdraw water from Feni river.[1][2] An autopsy report confirmed that Fahad was beaten to death by blunt objects (cricket stumps and bamboo sticks).[3][4]

Abrar Fahad
Born(1998-02-12)12 February 1998
Kushtia, Bangladesh
DiedOctober 7, 2019(2019-10-07) (aged 21)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cause of deathTorture by Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders
NationalityBangladeshi
OccupationStudent


Abrar Fahad

Personal life

Abrar Fahad was born on 12 February 1998 in Kushtia, Bangladesh. His village home is in Kumarakhali, Kushtia. He finished early schooling from Kushtia Mission Primary School and later studied in Kushtia Zilla School. He has also studied in Notre Dame College, Dhaka. Having been a high performing student at Notre Dame College in Dhaka, Fahad was one of the top 20 students from Dhaka Board in Higher Secondary School Certificate Examination. He was also selected to study at the University of Dhaka (Genetics Engineering) and Dhaka Medical College after successfully passing the admission tests of the educational institutions respectively.In the University Of Dhaka, he occupied the 13th position in genetics engineering.According to some sources, an educational institution outside of Bangladesh selected him to study nuclear engineering- but he chose Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology for his bachelor's degree. On 31 March 2018, he started studying in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)..

Fahad's home in Kushtia was next door to the home of AL leader Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif.[5] His father Barkatullah worked as an auditor at BRAC and mother Rokeya Khatun a kindergarten teacher. He was the elder of two brothers, his younger brother Abrar Faiyaj is a second-year HSC student at Dhaka College. Faiyaj would stay at the Dhaka College hostel, near the Sher-e-Bangla Hall.

Death

At the time of his death Fahad was a second-year (Term 1) student of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He was killed in room number 2011 in Sher-e Bangla Hall. He was staying in room number 1011 in the same hall.

On 6 Oct 2019, Sunday night, around 8 pm, some 3rd year students summoned Fahad and other second year students to room 2011 of Sher-e-Bangla Hall, claimed Ashikul Islam Bitu, a second year student of Chemical Engineering department and the assistant secretary of BUET Chhatra League. Anick Sarker, a Chhatra League leader, information and research affairs secretary of BUET Chhatra League, also a 4th year student of Mechanical Engineering and Amit Shaha, deputy law affairs secretary of the same unit, led the attack on him and beat Abrar the most.[6] Police had recovered Abrar's body at 3 in the early hours of Monday at the ground floor of Sher-e-Bangla Hall. Abrar was pronounced dead around 3 am by BUET Medical Officer Dr Md Mashuk Elahi.[7] Footage captured by a closed-circuit camera installed on the residential hall's 2nd floor showed a few people dragging Abrar down the corridor by his hands and feet.

Facebook involvement

Fahad was killed for his writing on Facebook that condemned the recent India-Bangladesh deal (September–October 2019).[8] In his Facebook status, Fahad had criticised as well as portrayed the grim picture of the signing of bilateral documents during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's four-day official visit to India on September–October 2019.

In his lengthy Facebook post, Fahad also embodied the issues of allowing India to use Mongla port, withdrawing water from the Feni River and importing LPG from Bangladesh,[9] despite India's noncooperation.

Fahad ended his Facebook status quoting some four lines from the poem "Sukh", written by prominent female poet Kamini Roy.

Before his last Facebook post, Fahad had also written a stream of pro-Kashmiri posts which is said to have additionally drawn the ire of BUET Chhatra League thugs. Also, Abrar was a religious Muslim which was a major reason why his attackers falsely labeled him as "Shibir" and consequently, tortured him to death.

Aftermath

Students of different universities across the country held demonstrations on their respective campuses and demanded exemplary punishment of the killers of BUET student. His death triggered protests on the BUET and Dhaka University campuses.[10][11][12][13][14] Several hundred students of Dhaka University held a protest rally at the base of anti-terrorism Raju sculpture. Teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University also staged a human chain on the campus demanding capital punishment of the killers of Abrar. In Khulna, students of Khulna University barricaded the highways in front of their campus tying their faces with black badges formed a human chain in the main gate of the university and protested the murder of Abrar.[15]

A Protester protests demanding justice for Abrar Fahad.

Rajshahi University students protested at the gruesome killing of Abrar Fahad. The students also blocked Rajshahi-Dhaka highway for half an hour. Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology also held a human chain in front of main gate of the campus in Sylhet. The students later brought out a protest rally which paraded Sylhet-Sunamganj highway.[16]

The BUET authorities banned all political activities on the campus and temporarily suspended 19 students, mostly leaders of the university's BCL unit, accused in Abrar Fahad killing case.[17]

International Response

UN, UK, Germany, France & US have strongly condemned the brutal murder of Abrar Fahad.[18][19][20]

Trial

Fahad's father Barkat Ullah filed a murder case against 19 people with the Chowk Bazar police station.[21] However, one of the key accused, Amit Saha, was not included in the police report. Later, police arrested 4 other suspects including Amit Saha despite the fact that they were not named in the official murder case.

Eighteen members of the BUET Chhatra League have been detained in connection with the murder.[22][23][24][25]

Abrar Fahad Murder (Update: 17 November 2019)
Name of Accused BUET Department (batch) BCL Identity Current Status Court ruling
1 Mehedi Hasan Rasel Civil Engr. ('13) General secretary Arrested Denied bail
2 Muhtasim Fuad Civil Engr. ('14) Vice President Arrested Denied bail
3 Anick Sarker Mechanical Engr. ('15) Secretary of Information & Research Affairs Arrested
4 Mehedi Hasan Robein Chemical Engr. ('15) Organising secretary Arrested
5 Ifti Mosharraf Shakal Biomedical Engr. ('16) Deputy social welfare secretary Arrested
6 Moniruzzaman Monir Water Resource Engr. ('16) Secretary of literature Arrested
7 Meftahul Islam Zion NAME ('15) Sports secretary Arrested
8 Mohammad Majedur Rahman Materials & Metallurgical Engr ('17) Member Arrested
9 Muzahidur Rahman Muzahid Electrical & Electronic Engr. ('16) Member Arrested
10 Khandaker Tabakhkharul Islam Tanvir Mechanical Engr. ('16) Member Arrested
11 Hosssain Mohammad Toha Mechanical Engr. ('17) Member Arrested
12 Md Morshedujjaman Mondol Jeeshan Electrical & Electronic Engr. ('16) Member Fugitive
13 Md Akash Civil Engr. ('16) Member Arrested
14 Shamim Billah NAME ('17) Member Arrested
15 A.S.M. Nazmus Sadat (Sajib) Mechanical Engr. ('17) Member Arrested Denied bail
16 Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim Civil Engr. ('17) Member Arrested
17 Morshed Amartya Islam (Pink) Mechanical Engr. ('17) Member Arrested[26] Denied bail
18 Md Moaz Abu Hurairah EEE ('17) Member Arrested
19 Montasir Al Jemy Mechanical Engr. ('17) Member Arrested
20 Amit Saha Civil Engr. ('16) Deputy law affairs secretary Arrested
21 Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna Mechanical Engr. ('15) Publication affairs secretary Arrested
22 Md Mizanur Rahman WRE ('16) Member Arrested
23 Shamsul Arefin Rafat Mechanical Engr. ('17) Member Arrested
24 Md. Mahmud Shetu Chemical Engr. ('14) Ex-Member Arrested Denied bail
25 Mujtaba Rafid Chemical Engr. ('16) Deputy office secretary Arrested
gollark: If anything, the US should kidnap people and force them into it.
gollark: It is also probably not very good for actually rehabilitating anyone.
gollark: I don't really like them.
gollark: If you can actually do all the war stuff.
gollark: I'm just saying, finding a particularly defensible area and becoming a warlord might not be terrible.

References
  1. "Abrar Fahad: Killing of Bangladesh student triggers protests". BBC News. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  2. "9 held over Buet student Abrar murder". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  3. "Autopsy report: Abrar was beaten to death". Dhaka Tribune. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. "Buet student beaten to death: Critical FB post costs him his life?". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. "BUET student Abrar's mother repeatedly phoned him that night". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. "Abrar murder: Nine held, case filed against 19". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. "Buet student murdered after 'BCL men grilled' him". The Daily Star. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  8. "BUET student 'beaten dead' in dorm". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  9. "Was BUET student Abrar murdered for his Facebook status?". Daily Sun. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  10. "Bangladesh Student Killing Sparks University Protests". VOA. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  11. "Abrar Fahad: Killing of Bangladesh student triggers protests". BBC News. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  12. "Student's murder triggers protest in Bangladesh". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  13. "Bangladesh student killing: Thousands protest ..." Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  14. "DU students protest BUET student Fahad's murder". Banglanews24.com. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  15. The business standards. "Buet student Abrar murder sparks nationwide protests". Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  16. "Univ students countrywide protest at Abrar murder". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  17. "Political activities banned at Buet". The Daily Star. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  18. "International communities condemn Abrar's murder: Statements issued by UN, UK, Germany". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  19. "Abrar murder: French embassy urges quick punishment of killers". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  20. "Shocked by Abrar's murder, US ambassador calls for a 'full investigation'". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  21. "Father charges 19 over murder of BUET student Abrar". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  22. "Abrar Fahad murder: Father initiates case accusing 19". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  23. "Buet protesters won't budge". The Daily Star. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  24. "Abrar murder: 2 more accused held in Sylhet, Satkhira". The Daily Star. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  25. "Police arrest slain BUET student Abrar's roommate Mizanur". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  26. "আবরার হত্যার আসামি মোর্শেদ কারাগারে". Jugantor. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
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