Shammo murder: Call for justice gets louder

Amid ongoing protests over the murder of Dhaka University student and JCD leader Shahriar Alam Shammo, the platform "Students Against Terrorism" has once again demanded the resignation of the university's vice-chancellor and proctor, citing their failure to ensure campus security.

The JCD brought out a torch procession yesterday and marched through the campus, demanding justice for Shammo.

Earlier at a press conference in front of the Central Library, they placed a four-point demand, including immediate justice for Shammo through a proper investigation, and a formal apology from the administration for what it termed "administrative failure" that led to death of two students within nine months since August 5 last year.

The platform formed following Shammo's murder, comprises activists from Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and major left-leaning student organisations, including Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Biplobi Chhatra Moitree, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, and Samajtantrik Chhatra Federation.

The coalition alleged that both the university administration and law enforcement agencies had failed to investigate Shammo's killing properly.

They also condemned how the university handled the case of Tofazzal Hossain, a person with intellectual disability, who was killed at a DU dormitory in 2024.

Roktobeej Arko of Chhatra Union read out the demands, which include the formation of a "Justice Assurance Committee" comprising Shammo's family members, students, and faculty members to ensure transparency and justice in the case.

The platform further demanded that CCTV footage related to the murder be made public.

"We were told footage would be collected, but law enforcers now claim no footage from the past ten days exists," said Abidur Rahman Mishu, literature secretary of Surja Sen Hall JCD.