Abrar Killing at Buet: At least 28 took part in or abetted the crime
Two days before Buet student Abrar was tortured to death, some of the suspects held two meetings at their dorm canteen and guest room and decided to beat him up and evict him if his involvement with Shibir was found.
At least 28 Buet students either tortured Abrar Fahad Rabbi or abetted the killing that sparked widespread protests last month.
The investigators learnt about these while interrogating 21 accused and from confessional statements made by seven other accused, officials said, adding that the investigation is almost complete.
They may submit the charge sheet any day.
Three of the 11 expelled Buet unit leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League were the main instigators. They told others that Abrar might be a Shibir activist.
The 11 men beat him up with cricket stumps, skipping ropes, and hit him repeatedly after taking him to room-2011 of Sher-e-Bangla hall of Buet around 8:00pm on October 6.
The 14 other accused abetted the killing either by calling Abrar to the room where he was tortured or by carrying the unconscious victim to another room and finally to the staircase landing.
Abrar, a 2nd year student of Electrical and Electric Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, was brutally tortured for hours before he died. Doctors said he died sometime between 8:00pm on October 6 and 2:30am on October 7.
Some of the accused told police that while they were torturing him, he begged for water, but they didn’t give him a single drop.
Doctors said he died of internal bleeding and excessive pain. There were injury marks all over his body, with bruises on his arms, legs and back.
A PLANNED ATTACK
Two to three days before the killing, Abrar’s roommate at the dorm, Mizanur Rahman, told expelled Buet BCL organising secretary Mehedi Hasan Robein that he thought Abrar was a Shibir supporter, investigators said.
Mizanur and several other BCL men then held a meeting at the canteen on October 4 and decided that they would evict all Shibir men from the hall. Buet BCL leaders, batch-15 students Robein and Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna and batch 16 students Moniruzzaman Monir, Akash Hossain and Amit Saha, were present at the meeting.
After the meeting, Robein wrote on a Facebook Messenger group of batch-15 and -16 Buet BCL members, “Abrar will be beaten and driven out of the hall within two days if his involvement with Shibir is found.” A few minutes later, Moniruzzaman and Amit wrote, “Ok Bhai”.
Around 10:00pm, expelled BCL leaders Moniruzzaman, Mustaba Rafid Imam, Akash Hossain, Khandaker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir, Ismail Hossain, Ifti Mosharraf Shokal and one other suspect met at the guest room of the hall.
But the plan to interrogate Abrar could not be executed that night because Abrar was at his village home.
THE NIGHT OF HORROR
On October 6, batch-17 student Hossain Mohammad Toha told Ifti that Abrar had returned to the hall from his village in Kushtia.
Around 8:00pm, Ifti asked BCL men Muntasir Al Jemi, Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim, Majedur Rahman, Mustaba Rafid and other students Toha, Shamsul Arefin Rafath, Shamim Billah, Morshed Amartya Islam, Abu Hurayra Moaz, Galib and Saiful to bring Abrar to room-2011 on the first floor.
Abrar was studying maths when they took him to room-2011 along with his two cell phones and a laptop.
Robein started quizzing Abrar and started slapping him soon afterwards.
Anik Sarkar, who was the Buet BCL information and research secretary, hit the victim over 100 times with cricket stumps in two phases. Everybody in the room was frightened, seeing the way Anik was beating him up.
Ifti and Moniruzzaman also began to strike Abrar with cricket stumps. A stump got broken in half at one stage.
Meftahul Islam Zion then hit the victim with a piece of the broken stump. The stumps were brought by Morshed, investigators said.
Mujahidur Rahman and Shamim Billah whipped Abrar with a skipping rope, they added.
Nazmus Sadat, Muntasir Al Jemi, Ehteshamul and Khandaker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir slapped the victim.
Another expelled BCL leader SM Mahmud alias Setu visited the room and told everyone to keep torturing Abrar.
After Abrar fell sick and fell to the floor, the suspects helped him to his feet and started beating him up again. After a few hours, Abrar started throwing up before becoming motionless.
After he fell sick, Abrar was taken to room-2005. When he became motionless, Anik, Robein, Zion, Mujahid, Nazmus Sadat, Muntasir, Ehteshamul and Morshed took Abrar to the clearing in the stairway between the first and ground floors.
Shakhawat Iqbal Ovi and Abu Nowshad Shakib were present when the victim was taken from his room.
THE INSTIGATORS
Amit Saha attended the meeting on October 4 at the canteen. He also gave consent to evict Abrar from the dorm.
After Abrar became motionless in the early hours of October 7, expelled BCL general secretary Mehedi Hasan Russel called Robein, who along with Anik was going to room-2005. Russel asked them to come to his room. They held a brief meeting there.
Russel then told them to call Chawkbazar Police Station and hand Abrar to police. He told them to tell police that Abrar admitted of being a Shibir activist.
Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna attended the meeting on October 4 evening and regretted on Messenger that he had not been able to be present while Abrar was tortured. He also gave different advice to Robein over phone while Abrar was being beaten up.
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