The killing of a Dhaka University student on the campus triggered protests and raised security concerns.
Shahriar Alam Shammo, a student of the Institute of Education and Research and a leader of the DU unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, died in an attack allegedly by miscreants in the Suhrawardy Udyan area Tuesday night.
The police arrested three people in this connection on Wednesday and a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court sent him to jail.
Following the incident, the university authorities at an emergency meeting attended by the local government, rural development and cooperatives adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and the university vice-chancellor professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, took some decisions to tighten security in the Suhrawardy Udyan area.
The decisions include beginning search operations at the udyan area from today, closing the udyan gate adjacent to the university’s Teacher-Student Centre permanently, the formation of a monitoring committee led by the public works ministry with representatives from other concerned authorities for permanent development of the udyan like that of Ramna Park, and the installation of CCTV cameras, lights and a police box at the udyan.
The DU and Jahangirnagar University units of JCD staged demonstrations on their respective campuses on Wednesday demanding immediate arrest of and exemplary punishment for the attackers and ensuring a safe educational environment on the DU campus.
JCD central committee on Wednesday announced countrywide protest programmes for today including wearing black badges and staging sit-ins at all educational institutions.
DU authorities also declared Thursday as a mourning day and suspended classes and examinations for half-day today for the death of Shahriar.
The university authorities formed a seven-member committee to probe the death. The committee was asked to submit its report within three working days.
Unidentified miscreants set fire to the home of one of the arrested people, Tamim Hawlader, in the Brahmondi area under Sadar upazila in Madaripur Wednesday night, said Madaripur superintendent of police Md Naimul Hasan.
Different incidents of criminal activities including hijacking and sexual harassment, especially at night, are common in the Suhrawardy Udyan area.
A press release issued by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Wednesday said that Shahriar, a student of the 2018–19 session at the Institute of Education was passing near the Ramna Kali Mandir area inside the udyan with two of his fellow friends on his motorcycle at around 11:45pm on Tuesday.
An altercation reportedly broke out between them and 10 or 12 unidentified miscreants following a collision with a motorcycle of the second group.
The dispute escalated into a scuffle, during which Shahriar was stabbed in the right thigh with a sharp weapon while his friends were also hit by bricks.
The assailants fled the scene after the attack, the release said.
Shahriar’s friends and locals then rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
The victim’s brother SAM Shariful Alam filed a murder case with Shahbagh police station in connection with the incident, the release said.
Following drives, police arrested Md Tamim Hawlader, 30, Samrat Mallick, 28, and Md Polash Sarder, 30, all outsiders, from Sher-e-Bangla thana area Wednesday morning for their suspected involvement in the killing, it said.
The leaders and activists of the JCD on Wednesday noon staged a protest march at DU Campus demanding the resignation of vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan and proctor Saifuddin Ahmed, holding the university administration responsible for the murder.
The demonstrators held a brief rally in front of the VC’s residence.
Following the brief rally, Shammo’s namaz-e-janaza was held after Zuhr prayers inside the university’s central mosque.
The DU unit of the Bangladesh Democratic Student Council on Wednesday submitted a memorandum demanding urgent steps to ensure safety on the campus.
The DU units of Socialist Students’ Front and Islami Chhatra Andolan Bangladesh, in separate statements, condemned the incident.
Sada Dal, a platform of pro-BNP teachers and Dhaka University Human Rights Association condemned the incident in separate statements.
At around 7.30pm on Wednesday, a group of protesters of different student wings of political parties staged a protest procession on DU campus.
New Age correspondent at Jahangirnagar University reported that the university unit of the JCD organised a protest rally on Wednesday condemning the death and demanding justice.
Dhaka University has a total of 21 dormitories, including five for female students, with a capacity of around 16,000 seats against a total of around 37,000 students studying at the university.
The residential halls are overburdened.
