3 culprits expelled

Jagannath University (JnU) authorities yesterday expelled three students and cancelled certificates of two others for their involvement in the murder of Bishwajit Das during the opposition's roadblock on Sunday.
The action was taken based on newspaper and television reports, said a JnU press release. The university's law and order committee and the proctorial body made the decision at an emergency meeting.
The expelled students are Obhidul Quader, a fourth-year student of psychology, Meer Md Noore Alam, a fourth-year student of political science, and Rafiqul Islam, a second-year student of Islamic history.
The two whose certificates were cancelled are Emdadul Haque, a masters' final-year student of philosophy, and Mahfuzur Rahman, a master's final-year student of Bangla.
Some 10-12 activists of pro-Awami League student body Chhatra League beat and hacked Bishwajit to death during the early hours of the blockade enforced by the 18-party alliance led by the BNP.
The BCL has since been trying to label the 24-year-old victim as a blockader and wash its hands of the murder. In fact, Bishwajit was a tailor, who got killed on the way to his Shakhari Bazar shop.
Witnesses said the BCL cadres swooped on him with machetes, iron rods and other sharp weapons mistaking him for a pro-blockade activist. Bishwajit succumbed to his injuries after he was taken to Mitford Hospital.
Three days after the incident that left the whole nation shocked, leaders of the ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance condemned the murder yesterday and demanded that the government take appropriate action to arrest and punish the killers.
Also yesterday, businessmen of Shakhari Bazar brought out a procession, wearing black badges and demanding punishment of the criminals.
They said the identified killers of Bishwajit had been involved in extortion, mugging and other criminal activities in and around Jagannath University.
NO BCL LINK: MKA
Meanwhile, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir yesterday once again denied that BCL activists were responsible for the murder.
"It is clear that Chhatra League was not involved in the killing," he said while talking to reporters after a discussion marking the Martyred Intellectuals Day at the National Museum last evening.
The minister kept mum when he was asked to comment on Tuesday's High Court directive on the law enforcement agencies to arrest the killers of Bishwajit in 24 hours.