Viscera report confirms IU student Sajid was 'murdered'

Sajid Abdullah, a student of Islamic University (IU), whose body was recovered from a campus pond on July 17, was murdered, according to the final forensic report.

The final viscera report was handed over to investigators through the Kushtia court this morning.

Mizanur Rahman, superintendent of Kushtia police said, "The findings of the post-mortem and viscera reports confirm that it was a case of murder. We will now consult with the university authorities and Sajid's family regarding the filing of a murder case and taking further legal steps."

"The cause of death is due to asphyxia as a result of suffocation, which is antemortem and homicidal in nature," the viscera report said.

Sajid, a first-year student of the 2021–22 academic session, was from Tangail.

On the evening of July 17, his body was found floating in a pond next to Shah Azizur Rahman Hall on the university campus. The IU police recovered the body around 6:00pm, said Mehedi Hassan, officer-in-charge of the police station.

The following morning, his autopsy was conducted at 9:30am at the 250-bed Kushtia General Hospital morgue, said Hossain Imam, a resident medical officer.

His janaza was held before Jummah prayers that day in the mosque compound of the hospital, where his father, Maulana Ahsan Habibullah Delwar, and his classmates alleged that Sajid could not have drowned accidentally, as he was a strong swimmer and physically fit. They suspected foul play and demanded proper investigation.

Speaking to The Daily Star after the viscera report was released, Sajid's father said, "We've said from the beginning that our son knew how to swim. He could not have drowned in that pond. Our suspicion has now been proven true. It is the responsibility of the authorities to find those responsible. We are not suspecting anyone."

The RMO said, "Based on the autopsy and viscera findings, we can confirm that Sajid died from suffocation. It is likely that he was already dead before the body entered water."