Abrar killing described in detail
Chhatra League men brutally beat up BUET student Abrar Fahad with cricket stumps and a thick skipping rope. He fell to the ground writhing in pain. They dragged him up and began thrashing him again. After this assault continued for an hour or so, Abrar began to vomit. He vomited three times and then became inert.
This description of the incident leading to the death of Abrar was given in court by Ifti Mosharraf alias Shokal, social welfare affairs deputy secretary of the BUET unit of Chhatra League.
It was in Ifti Mosharraf’s room that the BCL men beat up Abrar, a second-year electronic and electrical engineering student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), on 6 October night, accusing him of being affiliated with Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Ifti was directly involved in the attack. He related the incident in a confessional statement made on Thursday to the metropolitan magistrate Khandakar Yasin Ahsan Chowdhury.
Police have arrested 16 suspects in the Abrar murder case so far. Ifti is the first to issue a confessional statement. Several sources involved in the investigation told Prothom Alo that Ifti described the entire killing, from the time calling Abrar out from his room rill the end.
During interrogation, Ifti said that the BUET BCL organising secretary Mehdi Hasan alias Robin had issued directives on a Messenger group post on 4 October, saying that Abrar was a Shibir man and had to be caught. BUET BCL law affairs deputy secretary Amit Saha responded, saying “Let him return from home.”
In his deposition in court, Ifti said Abrar was brought to room 2011 of BUET’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall a bit after eight at night on 6 October, along with two of his mobile phones and laptop.
One of Ifti’s roommates, BUET BCL deputy office secretary Mujtaba Rafid checked one of the mobile phones and third-year mechanical engineering student Khandakar Tabakkharul Islam alias Tanvir checked the other. Second-year student of the same department, Muntasir Al Jamie, checked Abrar’s laptop.
Ifti told the court that while they were checking the devices, Mehdi Hasan and BUET BCL sports affairs secretary Md
Moftarul Islam alias Ziyan (fourth-year naval architecture marine engineering student) entered the room. Mehdi told them to find out from Abrar who were involved with Shibir in BUET. Mehdi also slapped Abrar several times.
In his statement, Ifti said second-year mechanical engineering student Shamsul Arefin alias Rafat brought the cricket stumps and Ifti began hitting Abrar with a stump to make him speak. The stump broke and then BUET BCL information and research secretary Anik Sarkar (fourth-year mechanical engineering student) began beating Ifti with a stump too. He hit his knees, legs, soles of his feet and arms. Abrar hurried started blurting out random names. Moftarul then slapped Abrar and hit his knees with a stump and Mehdi contacted BUET BCL general secretary over mobile phone.
Ifti said in his deposition that at around 10:30 at night he went to the canteen for dinner. He returned after 20 minutes to find Abrar was lying on the floor, ill. He shouted at Abrar, telling him to get to his feet. He slapped him. Third-year electrical engineering student Mujahidur Rahman then started thrashing Abrar with a thick skipping rope. Ifti began beating him again, hitting him with the stump on his knees and legs. Tabakkharul slapped him several times.
According to Ifti, at around 11:00pm at night, Anik Sarkar entered the room again and began beating Abrar mercilessly with the stump, striking him over 100 times. Anik was out of control and the others were taken aback. It was only after midnight that Anik stopped beating Abrar and left the room.
Abrar was having breathing difficulties, Ifti related, and he placed two pillows under Abrar’s head. Abrar started vomiting. They informed Anik of the matter over mobile phone and Anik told them to give him a shower and put ointment on his wounds. Abrar started vomiting again. They brought a change of clothes from Abrar’s room. Mehdi looked at Abrar and said, “He’s just acting.”
Abrar was then taken to room 2005 and laid down. Anik sends an SMS asking about Abrar and instructing to beat him more to extract information. When they told Anik that Abrar was in a seriously bad state, Anik told them to get him out of the hall. Mehdi and Anik came to the room then. Anik looked at Abrar and said, “He’s fine.”
Abrar began vomiting again. Ifti narrated, and Mehdi said they should take him down and hand him over to the police. Some of the students tried in vain to carry him down and so they dragged him down on a mattress. Abrar began saying he was feeling very bad. The general secretary Russel was talking to the police at the gate at the time.
Muntasir came rushing up and said that Abrar’s hands and feet had gone cold. Ifti began rubbing him. Ismail and Monir called for an ambulance. The physician came to the stairs where Abrar was lying and said, “He is dead.” Ifti then went and lay down in a room from where the police arrested him.
On Thursday police arrested BUET BCL law affairs deputy secretary and civil engineering third-year student Amit Saha from Sabujbagh. Second-year student of mechanical engineering Shamsul Arefin alias Rafat and third-year water resource engineering department student Mizanur Rahman were arrested from Gazipur.