The killing that sparked countrywide protest against ragging culture

Abrar Fahad's murder in the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) dormitory on 7 October 2019 had sparked overwhelming protests all over the country.

Some leaders and activists of Chhatra League's Buet unit clubbed Abrar, 22, a second year undergraduate student, to death for his social media post criticising the Bangladesh-India deal on sharing the water of the Feni River.

The miscreants also claimed Abrar to be involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir - the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.

The death pointed towards a greater problem that is the ragging culture in university dormitories across the country.

Students spoke up about the incident as well as past experiences. Students of Buet started staging protests across their campus demanding justice for the murder.

They also put forward a 10-point demand which included maximum punishment for Abrar's killers, expelling all the murder accused from the university, compensating Abrar's family, cancellation of dormitory seats of illegal occupants and banning organisation-based politics at Buet.

Amid the protests, Buet authorities on 11 October 2019 banned all political activities on the campus and suspended 19 students accused in the Abrar killing case.

On 12 October, Vice-Chancellor of Buet Prof Saiful Islam assured the students that all their demands would be met. However, failing to trust the VC's words, students continued their protests and vowed to do so till their demands were actualised.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 13 October condemned the protests saying their demands have been met yet they are continuing their protest, "what is the logic behind that."

Finally on the same day (13 October) the students relaxed their movement owing to the admission test in Buet.

Protests at universities across country

Students of several universities demonstrated demanding justice for the murder.

At Dhaka University (DU), students brought out processions from the TSC intersection, paraded the campus and then ended at Buet campus, showing solidarity with the demonstrating students there.

Students at Rajshahi University (RU) also demonstrated on their campus in protest against the murder and blockaded Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway at the RU main entrance for half an hour.

At Jahangirnagar University (JU), teachers, students and different socio-cultural organisations formed a human chain on campus demanding justice for Abrar.

Students at Khulna University (KU), had also formed a human chain wearing black masks in front of the main entrance of the university demanding justice for Abrar.

At another demonstration at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet, students said that Abrar's murder was a result of the occupation and fear created by Chhatra League.

Students in various other universities across the country took part in the protest.

The verdict

A Dhaka court sentenced 20 Buet students to death and five more to life imprisonment for killing fellow student Abrar Fahad.

Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamaruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 announced the verdict in the sensational killing on Wednesday.

"The killing has hurt all the people of Bangladesh. The tribunal has decided to give maximum punishment to all the accused in order to prevent any recurrence of the brutal murder of BUET's meritorious student Abrar Fahad," the court said in its observation.