Abrar murder case verdict: 20 sentenced to death, 5 get life term

Twenty people were sentenced to death and five others to life term imprisonment in Buet student Abrar Fahad murder case.

Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka passed the order.

The 20 convicts given death sentence are: Chhatra League Buet unit's then General Secretary Mehedi Hasan Russel, ex Organising Secretary Mehedi Hasan Robin alias Shanto, ex Information and Research Secretary Anik Sarkar Apu, ex Literature Secretary Moniruzzaman Monir, ex Sports Secretary Meftahul Islam Zion, ex Deputy Social Welfare Secretary Ifti Mosharraf Shokal, ex Deputy Office Secretary Mustaba Rafid; former members Mujahidur Rahman Mujahid, Muntasir Al Jemi and Ehtashamul Rabbi Tanim; activists Khandaker Tabakkarul Islam Tanvir, ASM Nazmus Sadat, Majedur Rahman alias Majed, Hossain Mohammad Toha, Shamim Billah, Mizanur Rahman Mizan, SM Mahmud Setu, Shamsul Arefin Rafat, Muhammad Morshed-Uz-Zaman Mondol alias Jishan and Morshed Amartya Islam.

Buet BCL's former Vice-president Muhtasim Fuad, ex Library and Publication Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna, ex Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary Amit Saha and activists Akash Hossain and Moaz Abu Hurayra were given life term imprisonment.

During the judgement, the court said it has given the highest punishment to the accused so that such incident does not repeat again.

Of the convicts, Mustaba, Jishan and Tanim have been absconding since the incident, while the rest are now behind bars.

Around 11:45am, 22 accused were produced before the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1. They were taken to the court from Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj.

Buet students expressed satisfaction over the verdict and demanded immidiate execution of the judgement.

In the early hours of October 7 of 2019, Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of electrical and electronics engineering (EEE) department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), died after he was brutally beaten allegedly by some Chhatra League men at Sher-e-Bangla hall of the university.

The incident triggered a firestorm of protests on campuses across the country. Many took to social media to demand justice for Abrar.

Abrar's father Barkat Ullah filed a murder case in this regard with Chawkbazar Police Station against 19 Buet unit BCL leaders and activists on October 7.

Amid protests, BCL expelled 12 leaders of Buet unit from the organisation for breaching its discipline from October 7 to October 14.

Buet authorities on October 11 banned all political activities on the campus. Later, they on November 21 expelled 25 students, mostly leaders and activists of the university's BCL unit, from the university in connection with the murder case.

On November 13 that year, Inspector Md Wahiduzaman of Detective Branch of police submitted the charge sheet of the case to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka against 25 accused.

During investigation, eight accused -- Anik, Robein, Ifti, Monir, Zion, Mujahid, Tanvir and Sadat -- gave their confessional statements to different magistrates.

On September 15 last year, the tribunal framed charges against the accused.

Earlier, 46 prosecution witnesses gave their depositions before the tribunal.