Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: The Buet authorities yesterday banned all political activities on the campus and suspended 19 students, including BCL leaders, accused in Abrar Fahad killing case.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Saiful Islam made the announcement in face of the student agitation sparked by the brutal murder last week.
During a meeting between the university authorities and the protesters, the VC also said they were working to open a website, in which students would be able to post their complaints about ragging and other forms of torture on the campus.
The university’s Directorate of Students’ Welfare would directly receive the complaints through the website, he said.
Coming out of the meeting, the students, however, said they would continue their demonstration until the authorities fulfilled all the demands that fall under their jurisdiction.
They warned that they will not allow the authorities to hold first year admission tests slated for October 14 as well as all terminal examinations if the demand were not met.
Abrar, a second-year student of the university’s electrical and electronic engineering department, died after he was beaten by a group of Chhatra League leaders at Sher-e-Bangla Hall sometime between 7:00pm Sunday and 2:30am on Monday.
Doctors said Abrar died of “internal bleeding and excessive pain”.
The incident triggered a firestorm of protests on campuses across the country. Many took to the social media to demand justice for Abrar.
Law enforcers suspect Abrar was attacked because of one of his recent Facebook posts, which seemed critical of some recent deals with India.
THE MEETING
Since Abrar was murdered, Buet Alumni Association and Teachers’ Association has been demanding removal of the VC for his “failure to ensure security” on the campus.
Prof Saiful also faced the protesters’ wrath when he went to the campus about 38 hours after the killing. The demonstrators also laid a siege to his office for over four hours.
He organised yesterday’s meeting at Buet auditorium to discuss the protesters’ 10-point demand, including banning politics on the campus and expelling the accused students. Media personnel were also present.
Soon after the meeting started around 5:00pm, Prof Saiful read out the demands of the students and talked about his stance on them.
At one point, he said, “I, with my own authority, am announcing that all political organisations and their activities are banned at Buet.”
About the demand for highest punishment for the killers, he said he discussed the matter with the top tier of the government and that the government has assured all sorts of assistance in this regard.
On expelling the suspects, he said the university authorities, on many occasions in the past, expelled students, but the expellees return to class with stay order from the courts.
“Based on those experiences, we have formed a probe committee to investigate Abrar’s murder. We are now suspending studentship of the 19 accused and further action will be taken based on the [committee’s] inquiry report.”
About compensating Abrar’s family and running the legal battle over the murder, Prof Saiful said the university authorities would assist the family in these matters.
He then said the authorities would soon install CCTV cameras on both sides of every wing of the dormitories.
The VC said they would write to the government so that the case over Abrar’s murder is tried under a speedy trial tribunal.
He also assured that there would be no ragging at Buet.
About the allegation of his failure to take prompt action after the brutal murder of Abrar, the VC admitted having some lacking on his part in acting swiftly.
“I had some lacking. As a father figure, I offer my apologies to you,” he said.
Later, some of the protesters said they would not budge until the university authorities fulfilled all the demands that fall under their jurisdiction.
They also threatened to thwart the upcoming admission tests.
At this, Director of Student Welfare Mizanur Rahman urged the protesters not to hold the admission seekers hostage to fulfil the demands.
Admission Test Committee Chief and Electrical & Electronic Engineering Faculty Dean Pran Kanai Saha also requested the protesters to allow the examination to take place.
Later, the students went the Shaheed Minar area on the campus and resumed their sit-in around 8:30pm.
They said they would continue their demo.
FIFTH DAY OF DEMO
Earlier in the morning, the agitating students continued their protests for the fifth straight day.
Several hundred students took to the streets demanding justice for Abrar. Holding placards, they chanted slogans calling for highest punishment for the killers.
Talking to the media around 11:00am, one of the protesters said, “We have not seen any visible progress towards the implementation of our 10-point demand.”
They brought out a procession from in front of the Buet’s Shaheed Minar and later staged a sit-in. After a break for Jumma prayers, they drew graffiti and performed a street play and a mock debate protesting the murder of their fellow student.
On Thursday, the protesters had given the VC until 2:00pm yesterday to make his stance clear on their demands.
MEFTAHUL CONFESSES; TWO MORE ARRESTED
BCL leader Meftahul Islam Zion of naval architecture and marine engineering batch-15, also the sports secretary of the Buet unit, yesterday confessed to his links to Abrar’s killing.
Earlier on Thursday, another accused Ifti Mosharraf Shakal confessed that he along with other Chhatra League leaders beat up Abrar.
Detectives yesterday arrested two more FIR-listed accused — Majedul Islam, 21, a 17th batch student of materials and metallurgical engineering, and Shamim Billah, 20, 17th batch student of naval architecture and marine engineering, from Sylhet and Satkhira.
With the arrest of the duo, the number of arrestees in the case stood at 18.
Meanwhile, two suspects, Buet BCL leader Amit Saha and Hossain Mohammad Toha, were placed on five-day remand each yesterday in connection with the murder.
The court also sent Abrar’s roommate Mizanur Rahman Mizan to jail.
