Abrar, the second-year student at electrical and electronic engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), was found dead at his Sher-e-Bangla hall early today. He was found dead after Bangladesh Chhatra League men allegedly interrogated him suspecting his involvement with Shibir.
A total of nine students have so far been detained for their alleged link to murder of Buet student Abrar Fahad, according to police. Earlier, after inspecting Sher-e-Bangla hall on the Buet campus where Abrar was beaten dead, Additional Commissioner of DMP Abdul Baten told reporters that they have identified six students based on CCTV footage and four out of the six students are already in the police custody.
A case has been filed over the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad. Victim’s father Barkatullah filed the case with Chawkbazar Police Station accusing 19 people, including BUET unit BCL leaders and activists.
Meanwhile, BCL’s acting president Al Nahian Khan mentioned that if any activists of his organisation are found involved with the murder of BUET student Abrar, actions will be taken against them. He said this at a press conference at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen organised by Bangladesh Chhatra League. It was alleged that Abrar was beaten to death by members of the BCL. According to the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, such actions by anybody will not be taken lightly and organisational actions will be taken against him or her as well, he said. The BCL leader also urged the law enforcers to take action according to the law against whoever is behind such crime. Later, BCL central committee expelled 11 members of its BUET unit for their involvement in Abrar murder.
No one has the right to kill anyone due to differences in opinions, and certainly not for posting negative posts about the PM on Facebook — which was apparently Abrar’s ‘crime’. In his last Facebook post he expressed his critical view about Bangladesh’s agreement with India allowing the country to withdraw water from the Feni river.
Even if Abrar was a supporter of Shibir and openly critical about the current administration it does not give the BCL men the right to attack him like wild animals and take his life in such a brutal and inhumane fashion — as if he were a dog or a feral animal. This attitude that any criticism about the ruling party must not be tolerated is completely against the spirit and ideals of any democracy — even in a selected one such as ours.
The police and RAB fear to take action against any individual who hold influential posts in the ruling party. Only directives from the PM are heeded when any action against any member of the ruling party is taken. Why can’t the police or the RAB take independent action every time a crime committed by members of the ruling party? Why is it that they remain paralyzed and have to wait for the PM’s instructions everytime a ruling party member commits illegal acts?
As we have seen the ruling party members have committed any number of illegal and violent acts–from operating torture cells to taking yaba, indulging in gambling and taking alcohol illegally, and this last act–killing a student simply because he had views which were critical of the ruling party.
If anything Abrar’s post was a warning that we should look into our national interests first before any other nation — in that sense it was not even a direct criticism of the actions of the administration. He was killed for supposedly for being a member of Shibir when in fact his family members were all supporters of the ruling party. His father and uncle used to attend the party meetings regularly.
The government should take responsibility when its party men with no fear of law or police commit crimes brutally. Doubts are expressed whatever the police say that such criminals will escape punishment, wrong persons will be victims. Those who killed Abrar are knowingly members of the government’s student wing. Our question is what action the government itself will take to ensure the Chhatra League leaders do not feel safe on committing crimes. Further question why the leaders and members should be engaged in heinous crimes like murder and feel sure of going unpunished. The members of the ruling student wing did the brutal murder of Abrar without fear of being caught by police and punished. So it is important for the people to know what the government is politically doing to stop BCL and Juba League from not feeling free to commit crimes.
The police are not free to act against government backed criminals. The whole justice system has lost credibility about doing justice when pressure from the government on the judiciary and police are too open to ignore.
