Abrar Fahad event row: Protest rally held at Dhaka University

Members of Students Against Torture (SAT) on Thursday formed a human chain near the Raju Memorial Sculpture on Dhaka University (DU) campus, demanding action against the perpetrators of the attack on a programme organised on the third death anniversary of Abrar Fahad.

SAT members organised the programme under the banner of 'General Students', which was joined by at least 20 others.

Saleh Uddin Sifat, convener of SAT, said, "We demand justice for the attack and the release of the 24 activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, who were arrested and sent to jail without doing anything wrong."

"The one-eyed behaviour of Bangladesh police has again been exposed, as the attack was launched by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists that left members of the other party badly injured," he added.

Demanding the release of the activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, Nusrat Tabassum, a 4th-year student of political science and also a member of SAT, said, "Three Chhatra Odhikar Parishad activists could not appear in exams as they are in jail."

Protesting against the BCL attack, Ahnaf Sayed Khan, a student of DU's Urdu department and a member of SAT, said, "Abrar was one who loved the country and sacrificed his life for the country. Attack on his memorial programme directly means disrespect to the country."

On October 7, activists of the Dhaka University unit of the Chhatra League allegedly carried out the attack on the programme organised by Chatra Odhikar Parishad in memory of deceased BUET student Abrar Fahad.

Later, BCL activists allegedly launched another attack on the injured Chhatra Odhikar Parishad activists at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. However, police detained 24 activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad.

Later, two charges were filed against them on a complaint from Nazim Uddin, organising secretary of the Chhatra League's central committee who was injured in the attack.

All the 24 activists of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad were subsequently produced in a court that sent them to judicial custody.