Man beaten to death at DU hall guest room on suspicion of theft

A group of students have been accused of beating a person to death on suspicion of being a thief by detaining him in the guest room of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall of Dhaka University. The person died from beating that continued for several hours on Wednesday night. When a bunch of students took him to hospital around 12:00 am last night, the physician on duty declared him dead.

Reportedly, the deceased person is named Tofazzal. Confirming the news of his death, the in-charge of Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost Md Faruk said that the man was declared dead by the physician after examination when he was brought to the hospital. The body has been stored at the morgue of the hospital, he added.

Proctor of Dhaka University, professor Saifuddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo around 9:00 am today, Thursday morning, “After hearing of the incident of a man being beaten to death at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, I went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with the proctorial team right at the dawn. The man in-charge of the morgue there informed us about the incident of death. Already a member of my team has gone to Shahbagh police station to file a case in this regard.”

Professor Saifuddin also said, “I have talked to the provost of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall and asked him to collect the CCTV footage. People who are guilty will be identified from that. Then necessary action will be taken. We have taken the issue very seriously.”

A source of the proctorial team of Dhaka University stated that the person suspected to be a cell phone thief, was brought to the guest room of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall after evening on Wednesday and beaten for several rounds till 10:00 pm at night.

At one point, the accused students took him to have his dinner at the canteen of the hall and then beat him up again afterwards. Meanwhile, a student had published a post on a university-centric Facebook group about that unidentified man being taken inside Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall on suspicion of being a thief, the source added.

Meanwhile, a student of the residential hall stated that after hearing of the incident house tutors arrived at the hall around 10:00 pm in the night. Later, a bunch of students took the injured person to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 12:00 am on Wednesday night. When the physician in-charge there declared the man dead, the accused students left the hospital.

When the news of that person being beaten to death by students spread out on Wednesday midnight, students of Dhaka University expressed serious reaction on social media.

Many of the students have demanded trial and exemplary punishment for this extrajudicial killing in various posts published on different university-centric Facebook groups as well as their personal profiles. Some students in protest of the killing also demonstrated at the TSC area early this morning.

The Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall administration has formed an investigation committee in the incident of the man being beaten to death. This seven-member committee has been asked to submit their report within 6:00 pm in the evening today, Thursday.

Provost of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Shah Md Masum formed the committee making house tutor of the hall, Alamgir Kabir the convener today Thursday morning. Other members of the committee are house tutors Mohammed Shafiul Alam Khan, Sheikh Zahir Raihan, Md Mahbub Alam, Asib Ahmed, assistant house tutors MM Towhidul Islam and assistant proctor (science faculty) of the university AKM Nur Alam Siddiki.

A notice signed by the provost stated that the committee is formed to investigate the unfortunate incident that occurred at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall on Wednesday night.

Another notice signed by the provost stated that the eyewitnesses of the untoward incident occuring at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall Wednesday night are requested to appear in the Hall office at 12:00 pm today, Thursday afternoon to cooperate with the investigation committee.

Meanwhile, quite a few students of the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall have left the hall since morning today, Thursday. Besides, leaders and activists of various student organisations protested the incident in front of the provost office at the hall in the morning.