Expel all 25 accused of Abrar murder

Agitating Buet students yesterday said they would not to return to classes until the authorities met their three-point demand, including expulsion of the charge-sheeted accused in Abrar Fahad murder case.

The protesters made the announcement at a press conference in front of the Buet Shaheed Minar.

The other two demands are: punishing the students involved in previous incidents of ragging at Buet halls, and formulating specific rules prohibiting ragging and organisation-based politics.

They demanded the rules and the penalties for violations be added to the university ordinance.

“We would accept the exam schedule if the authorities meet our first two demands, and sit for the tests only if the third one is fulfilled at least a week prior to the tests,” said Aniruddha Ganguli, a batch-15 student of Computer Science and Engineering department.

He said the protesters placed the demands in writing during a meeting with the Buet vice-chancellor and the directorate of Students’ Welfare on November 2.

Although the authorities assured the students of probing the earlier incidents of ragging and taking actions, no tangible development was seen since the meeting, he added.

The protesters alleged that the university authorities lack the goodwill and did not take enough measures, despite being given enough time to restore congenial atmosphere for education.

Prof Mizanur Rahman, the Buet directorate of Students’ Welfare, said a committee was supposed to be formed regarding ragging and organisation-based politics, but they were yet to receive any information on this.

Asked about the expulsion of the accused, he said the Board of Residence and Discipline would decide following recommendations of the university probe body and the university ordinance.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday fixed November 18 whether to accept the charge sheet pressed against 25 Buet students, mostly Buet Chhatra League unit men, in the Abrar murder case.

Detectives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police pressed the charges on Wednesday.

Police arrested 21 accused so far.

The investigation officer of the case appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the rest four -- Morsheduzzaman Jishan, Ehtashamul Rabbi Tanim, Morshed Amartya Islam, and Mustafa Rafid.

Eight of the accused made confessional statements before magistrates narrating the horrifying tortures on Abrar.

Abrar Fahad, a second-year students of Electrical and Electronic Engineering department, was beaten to death by a group of BCL men at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall between the night of October 6 and early hours of October 7.