Classes, exams boycotted at DU amid protest over student’s murder

Classes and exams at Dhaka University are suspended today, Thursday as students stage a full-day strike in protest of the murder of fellow student Shahriar Alam Shammyo.

Rejecting the university administration’s decision for a half-day mourning, a section of students under the banner ‘Students Against Terrorism’ enforced a complete boycott of academic and administrative activities.

The protesting students urged their fellow students not to attend any classes or exams today and to abstain from all administrative work. They also demand the resignation of the vice chancellor and the proctor of the university.

By 1:00pm, students locked the gates of the Arts Building and the Faculty of Social Sciences. They announced plans to hold a protest rally at the base of the Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture at 5:00pm, reiterating their call for resignation of the university VC and proctor.

Meanwhile, members of BNP’s student wing Chhatra Dal also demonstrated against Shahriar’s murder. They held a protest in front of the VC’s residence around noon, demanding the arrest and trial of those responsible.

Protests over Shahriar’s killing continued for the second day, today. On Wednesday, students held demonstrations on campus calling for the swift arrest and punishment of the perpetrators. The university authorities formed a seven-member committee yesterday to investigate the incident.

Shahriar, a postgraduate student from the 2018–19 sessions of the Institute of Education and Research, was fatally stabbed Tuesday night at Suhrawardy Udyan following an altercation over a motorcycle collision.

He lived in Room 222 of Sir AF Rahman Hall and served as the Literary and Publications Secretary of the hall unit of Chhatra Dal. He was from Sirajganj.

Meanwhile, Shahriar’s elder brother Shariful Islam filed a case with Shahbagh police station. Police arrested three suspects—Md Tamim Hawlader and Palash Sardar of Madaripur Sadar, and Samrat Mallik of Dasar upazila—during raids across Dhaka that same night.

Shahbagh police station’s OC Mohammad Khalid Mansur said that the three suspects were hawkers who were under the influence of drugs. They were found to be involved in the killing and were sent to jail by a court order yesterday.