Abrar’s accused killers were ‘generous’, ‘humble’, say families

Many of the parents are still in shock and disbelief that their ‘meritorious and humble’ sons killed a fellow student, beating him mercilessly in their residential hall.

Like Abrar, all his assailants were good students, passing their SSC and HSC exams with excellent GPA.  Prothom Alo correspondents talked to the families of 12 arrestees who allegedly killed Abrar in Sher-e-Bangla Hall of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Nearly all parents said their sons were not only bright students, but used to be very humble with no previous criminal records.

They were never involved in any kind of political activities, as per their guardians.

Many of the parents only came to know about their sons’ political affiliations after Abrar’s murder occurred.

Incidentally, the killers were the leaders of the BUET unit Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). Some of them held high positions in the student wing of the ruling political party Awami League.

All of the parents of the assailants agreed that their sons should be tried for murdering Abrar as killing is an indefensible offense.

One of the accused, Akash Hossain’s father, is a cycle-van puller in Dogachhi village of Jaipurhat. The father, Atikur Rahman, talked to the Prothom Alo correspondent, steeped in grief.     

“Many locals helped us financially when Akash qualified in the admission test of BUET. How on earth did he kill one of his classmates? I used to be very proud of him. Now I am ashamed of my son. All my dreams are shattered now,” Atikur told the correspondent. Akash’s mother could not believe her son is a murderer.

Among the 12 families Prothom Alo contacted, Anik Sarker’s family is quite well-off. His father, Anwar Hossain, is a prominent businessman in Mohanpur upazila of Rajshahi.

“I dreamt my son would serve people as an engineer from BUET. It is very painful to see him as a murderer on television and in the newspapers. If the accusation is true he must face the punishment awarded by the prevailing law of the country,” he said.

Beside Anik’s parents, relatives and neighbours are in grief and shock as they always knew Anik as a ‘humble’ and ‘generous’ boy.

Another accused Amit Saha’s participation in Abrar’s murder came as complete shock and disbelief to his neighbours in Netrokona. He is known as a quiet and humble boy in his area. His family and neighbours had no clue of when he joined politics.

Many of them said, Amit might have got involved in politics after admission to BUET. 

One of his neighbours at Thakurkona Bazar in Netrokona Md Kamal Miah said, Amit’s father Ranajit Saha is a religious and a very good man.

“He had to go through much hardship to bring the children up. All his efforts went in vain,” he added. 

BUET unit BCL general secretary, who has been expelled after the murder, Mehedi Hasan Russel’s father Ruhul Amin, 54, was a warrant officer in the Bangladesh army. Incidentally, Mehedi has been made the first accused of Abrar murder case.

His family lives in Sonapur union at Saltha upazila of Faridpur.

Ruhul Amin said, “How would it feel had my son been murdered like Abrar? There is law and justice to take care of things, even if Abrar had done anything wrong. It is completely unacceptable to kill a human like this.”

The father of accused Tanvir, Tafakkharul Islam, a teacher of Mahiganj Degree College in Rangpur, has blamed the malfunctioning politics of the BUET campus for his son’s wrongdoing.

“Tanvir mentioned being a victim of ragging by the ‘Boro Bhai’ (senior students and political leaders) to his mother. He said, he was influenced by his seniors to join in such activities,” Tanvir’s father said.

Similar statements came from another accused Muntasir Al Jemy’s father Abdul Mazid. He is the deputy general manager (DGM) of Mymensingh branch of Sonali Bank. He burst into tears and kept sobbing while talking to the Prothom Alo correspondent over phone.

“My son often spoke of the pressure created by the ‘Boro Bhai’ (political leaders and senior students) after admission. I advised him to stay careful,” he said.

A professor of Dhaka University criminology department told Prothom Alo, the students have changed due to the environment of the university.

“They were in a studious atmosphere earlier. The sudden change in conditions leads them to participate in politics. Then there is lure of power. To become powerful one has to indulge in murder and other illegal activities. This kind of show of power has been practiced in various campuses of Bangladesh since 1972,” he elaborated.