Teargas shell didn't hit Abubakar
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque yesterday refuted the allegation that Dhaka University student Abubakar Siddique died after being struck by a teargas shell.
Pro-BNP student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal yesterday called for a student strike at DU tomorrow protesting Siddique's death and pro-Awami League student body Bangladesh Chhatra League's "anarchy" at educational institutions across the country.
The DMP commissioner, briefing reporters at his office yesterday, claimed that Siddique received severe injuries to his head during factional fight between Chhatra League men at Sir AF Rahman Hall, which led to his death. The solid object, which caused the injury, was not a teargas shell, he claimed.
Quoting the autopsy report, the DMP commissioner said the victim was hit by a blunt object. "No evidence of any bullet hitting him was found."
The solid portion of a modern teargas shell stays inside the gun when it is fired and only a soft part is shot, which cannot cause death, he claimed.
On the day Siddique died, physician at the Intensive Care Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital Shafiqul Islam told reporters that doctors found a hole and a fragment of a metal in his head.
Quoting a surgeon who conducted surgery on Siddique, DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique on that day said something heavy hit the victim's head damaging the scull. Arefin said the principal of DMCH informed him that the victim was either hit with an iron rod or stone or something similar.
Confusion over the issue still persists as dormitory students claim that a police-fired teargas canister hit Siddique's head. Some students of the dormitory and Siddique's roommates claimed that he received a bullet.
Siddique, a third-year student of Islamic history and culture department of the university, received severe head injuries Tuesday at the dormitory and died on Wednesday after fighting for his life for over 30 hours at DMCH.
JCD BRIEFING
Top leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal called for the strike at a press conference at the organisation's central office in the afternoon.
Reading out a statement, Chhatra Dal General Secretary Amirul Islam Alim placed a six-point demand including punishment of Chhatra League men who were involved in the killing of Siddique, ousting criminals from educational institutions, stopping admission trade at colleges under the National University, resignation of DU vice-chancellor and withdrawal of "false" cases filed against Chhatra Dal leaders.
The student body also declared a three-day demonstration programme to press home their demands. On February 8, leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal will stage demonstrations at all divisional cities and at district headquarters the next day.
They threatened indefinite strike at DU if their demands were not met.
Amirul claimed that Siddique received a bullet. He, however, did not say how he became so sure.
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