The High Court on Sunday upheld the death sentence of 20 convicts and life imprisonment of five others in a case filed over the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad.
Earlier, a lower court handed down the same verdict in the case.
The HC bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict after hearing death references and appeal petitions filed by the convicts.
The death-row convicts are Mehedi Hasan Rasel (civil engineering batch-13), Anik Sarker (mechanical engineering batch-15), Mehedi Hasan Robin (chemical engineering batch-15), Ifti Mosharraf Hossain Shakal (biomedical engineering batch-16), Moniruzzaman Monir (water resources engineering bath-16), Meftahul Islam Zion (naval architecture and marine engineering batch-15), Muntasir Alam Jemi (mechanical engineering batch-17), Mazedur Rahman (metallurgical engineering batch-17), Muzahidur Rahman Muzahid (electrical engineering batch-16) and Tabakhkharul Islam Tanvir (mechanical engineering batch-16).
The list also included Hossain Mohammad Toha (mechanical engineering batch-17), Morsheduzzaman Mondal Jisan (electrical engineering batch-16), Md Shamim Billah (marine engineering batch-17), Nazmus Sadat (mechanical engineering batch-17), Ajtesamul Rabbi Tanim (civil engineering batch-17), Morshed Amartya Islam (mechanical engineering batch-17), Muztaba Rafid (chemical engineering batch-16), Samsul Arefin Rafat (mechanical engineering batch-17), Mizanur Rahman (water resources engineering batch-16) and SM Mahmud Setu (chemical engineering batch-14).
The lifers are Muhtasim Fuad (civil engineering batch-14), Md Akash Hossain (civil engineering batch-16), Moaz Abu Huraira (computer engineering batch-17), Amit Shaha (civil engineering batch-16) and Istiaq Hasan Munna (mechanical engineering batch-15).
Among the convicts, Jisan, Rafid and Tanim have been on the run since the gory incident, while the rest are behind bars.
However, Jemi, who was sentenced to death, escaped from prison on August 06 last year, but Abrar's family was in the dark until February 24 this year.
All the accused are students of the country's top engineering school and also activists of the now banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
The same HC bench concluded hearing death references and appeal petitions on February 24 this year, and kept the case as curia advisari vult (meaning the verdict will be delivered any day).
On 08 December 2021, Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka sentenced 20 accused to death and five others to life-term imprisonment in connection with the murder.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman, who represented the state during the hearing of the case, said the High Court judgment in the case established the concept of the judiciary to ensure justice in the state and society.
"Through this judgment, a message was sent to society that no matter how strong you are, how strong backing you have, the truth will ultimately prevail and the rule of law will be established," he added.
Meanwhile, Abrar's father Barkat Ullah expressed satisfaction over the judgment and urged the authorities concerned to execute it swiftly after exhausting all procedures.
Abrar Fahad, a sophomore of electrical and electronic engineering department, was beaten to death allegedly by some BCL leaders between 10:00 pm on October 06 and 2:00 am on October 07 in 2019.
Later, the victim's father filed a murder case against 19 BCL leaders of BUET unit with Chawkbazar police station.
The incident triggered a firestorm of protests on campuses across the country. Many took to social media to demand justice for Abrar.
Amid protests, the BUET authorities on 11 October 2019 banned all political activities on the campus and suspended 19 students, mostly BCL leaders.
On 13 November 2019, the investigation officer of the case, Insp Md Wahiduzzaman, placed the charge sheet in the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Dhaka, accusing 25 students of BUET.
On 25 September 2020, the court opened the trial of all 25 accused after framing charges against them in the case.
AG Asaduzzaman, deputy AG Jasim Sarker and others appeared for the state in the court hearing while, lawyers SM Shahjahan, Azizur Rahman Dulu, Masud Hasan Chowdhury and Mohammad Shishir Manir argued for the convicts.
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