DU student’s death: 3 friends identified, police wait for viscera reports

The Dhaka University authorities have identified the three friends who were with Dhaka University student Hafizur Rahman, whose throat slit body was identified at DMCH mortuary eight days after death.

But the university authorities could not talk to them as their mobile phones were found switched off. The DU authorities have initiated investigation into the death.

Meanwhile, police are suspecting that Hafizur was not in his normal mental state during the incident and might be drugged before that, said Shahbagh Police Inspector (operations) Kamruzzaman.

The police officer said that they have sent forensic samples of Hafizur to Criminal Investigation Department's forensic lab for viscera tests. They result will confirm whether he was drugged or not.

Hafizur Rahman, the 24-year-old student of the 2015-16 academic session at DU's Information Science and Library Management Department, arrived Dhaka from his village in Brahmanbaria on 15 May, a day after Eid-ul-Fitr.

According to police sources, he passed time with three of his friends at Karzan Hall area of the university on the evening. Later, he was seen hacking himself with a machete near the DMCH main gate, which is adjacent to the Central Shaheed Minar, on the night of May 15. Hafizur reportedly took the sharp weapon from a coconut seller.

Afterwards, a patrol team of Shahbagh police took him to DMCH. But he was resisting treatments also and died from excessive bleeding, said police.

Hafizur's cellphone was found switched off from night of 15 May, minutes after he talked with his mother over cellphone.

DMCH morgue sources said that Hafizur had no other injuries except throat slit and viscera reports might take over one and a half month to complete.

Meanwhile, DU Proctor Professor Golam Rabbani said that they have initiated an investigation into the incident and looking for the students who were with Hafizur before the incident.

A proctorial team member said that the three youths who were with Hafizur at Karzan Hall have been identified. Of them, Antu is a student of physics department at the university, Asif Bappi of pharmacy department and Rafsan from Dhaka College.  

The team member said that he had earlier talked with Asif, who admitted of consuming hemp and claimed that Hafizur was acting weirdly then.

The three youths' cellphones are switched off and police are looking for them.

Meanwhile, the university vice-chancellor Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman also expressed his condolence over the 'unnatural death' of the student. He also requested the concerned law enforcement agencies to submit an investigation report of the incident as soon as possible.

The students' organisations and university administration of Dhaka University (DU) demanded proper investigation into the mysterious death of Hafizur.

On Monday, a group of students formed a human chain at the base of Raju Memorial Sculpture on the university campus, demanding proper investigation and justice for Hafizur.

From the human chain, Hafizur's classmates and friends claimed that he did not commit suicide, rather it was a murder. They said Hafiz was not drunk; his dead was unnatural.

They complained that Hafizur's body was in morgue for over 8 days which proves the negligence of the DU authorities.

After the event, they met with Proctor Golam Rabbani demanding justice for killing after proper investigation.

Besides, several student organisations of the university including Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Chhatra Union and Chhatra Odhikar Parishad also issued statements demanding a quick investigation into the death.